Title: Call Us What We Carry
Author: Amanda Gorman
Pages: 241
While I don’t usually read poetry, I saw this was available through my library and decided to see if Gorman’s other poetry moved me like her inauguration poem, The Hill We Climb, did. Well they did. This was a very moving collection of poetry that was filled with a lot of emotion. Also this is National Poetry month so I figured another good time to read a poetry book.
First, you should know that these poems deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, other pandemics/epidemics, death, grief, and racism.
This was a very emotional and impactful collection of poems. Gorman writes in such a beautiful and poignant way, especially on these difficult topics. While I usually don’t enjoy a lot of poetry, I enjoyed almost all the poems in this one. They were all impactful and had important messages.
“Anxiety is a living body,
From Fugue
Poised beside us like a shadow.
It is the last creature standing,
The only beast who loves us
Enough to stay.”
Like I said, I enjoyed most of the poems in this collection. My favorite I think was Fugue, which discusses Covid-19 and really captures what this pandemic has been like, at least for me. This collection does end with her inauguration poem, The Hill We Climb, which was just as impactful as I remembered it being.
“It’s said that ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is this: a vine that sneaks up a tree, killing not by poison, but by blocking out its light.”
From Vale of the Shadow of Death or Extra! Extra! Read all About it!
Overall, this was a very good collection of poetry. I definitely like Gorman’s style and will probably read any future books she releases.
Red-Haired Ash Reads 