Review by GabbiV -- Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly

[GabbiV]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly" by Raed Anis Aljishi.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Bleeding Gull – look, feel, fly is a drama and poetry book written by Raed Anis Aljishi has multiple poems that focus on various themes such as nature and our interactions with it. A common motif found within several poems is death, how it is both an absence and a presence felt by the author. Loss and pain are explored through several avenues, such as religion, or are emote through by way of anxiety or grief.

All in all, this book of poems touches upon several themes that are a part of the human experience, making this work something universal.

There is no rhyming scheme within the poems, allowing each piece to feel organic without too much interference from the author. The poems also lack any discernible rhythm, making the poems read like the author records their thoughts right as they wake up, sounding like something from a dream.
Unfortunately, that means that I think that a few poems don’t really make sense, or at least it’s difficult for me to find meaning in some of them. The author personifies objects in a seemingly inconsistent fashion, describing traits that are difficult to envision or attribute to the subject.

The imagery is pleasantly very strong, acting as a poetic Dali in the often called upon surrealism the author invokes within the poems. The senses are used to their full extent, allowing the reader to revel in what the poems bring attention to, and often images created within the lines stay with the reader for being strikingly beautiful.

There is a certain balance achieved when taking all the poems in at once, reading each as if chapters in a book, one cohesive entity. The often-heavy emotions brought forth that are felt, acknowledged, and examined contrast with the beautiful imagery that seeps out of every word and turn of phrase. In that sense, the author has, in my opinion, captured a screenshot of the human experience, without overstatement or cowering from the grit.

Through the use of personification, the author sometimes assumes the perspective of nature. This unique outlook allows the reader to recognize aspects of nature that are eerily familiar. I rate this 4 out of 4 stars because the poetry forces us to realize that try as we might to separate ourselves from the Earth, we are still part of it and its natural cycles. This all culminates within the audience as you realize that we too are forces of nature.

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Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly
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Like GabbiV's review? Post a comment saying so!

[gen_g]

Thank you for the great review. Poetry is always subjective, but you made it sound really intriguing!

[Jackie Holycross]

I think poetry would be harder to review than pros. Great job.