I Refuse to Read Poetry... But I'm Doing it Anyway

The Smallest of Bones, written by Holly Lyn Walrath (she/they) is a poetry book about love, beauty, death, and coming to terms with these complex topics. The book came out on September 28th, 2021; in 90 pages, it is a quick read full of raw poetry and emotions. I write poetry myself, and I rarely let myself read others’ poetry. I promise, I’m not trying to bash other poets’ artistry, I just have found that it makes me feel awkward about my poetry. I'm working on it.  At first glance, this book looks like it would have everything I love about poetry. Before reading, I am anticipating an amazing perspective of grief and sense of self in this book. 

The author describes the books as "tiny love/horror poems," and I would agree with that sentiment. I was afraid I over-hyped the book before reading it, but I did anything but that. I have always been a lover of morbid things, so this book is perfect for me and others alike. Breaking down the collection into several chapters, it starts with “Cranium.” The beginnings of the chapters contain Wikipedia-like definitions of parts of the body, but then it dives into a more emotional perspective. Blending with anatomical notions, these introductions are perfect with the poems going along with them. At the end of the introduction for “Cranium,” they state: “by analyzing the key features of the skull of a dead person, a conclusion can be drawn regarding sex, but not gender. The skull and its bones may form our facial expressions, but they cannot form who we are.” This is a very philosophical and wise point of view because, as humans, we cannot brand ourselves to be only one thing. After all, it is simply “science.” Emotional and scientific research blend to form a beautiful state of mind, which is shown in this first paragraph. The poem is written in a certain mindset and tied together with the acknowledgment of existing. Raw, beautiful poems about sexuality, body, mind, and spirit are the essence of The Smallest of Bones..

My favorite poem of the book is “under threat, I cast off my breast.” It grabs at the notion of gender and letting it go, a graceful perspective of a traumatic situation for some. Holly Lyn Walrath wrote a masterpiece, and I am very excited to buy some of their other books. My only complaint is that the collection is so minimal. I would have loved to see an extensive amount of poems because it is just magnificent writing. The cover is a perfect representation of the contents inside, and the syntax of the poetry is smooth and flowing, just what I love to see in this type of writing. I would recommend this book to other high school students, teachers, and others. It does have some mature language and references, so I would think that eighth-graders and up would enjoy this book and understand the references. The aesthetic of the poetry is perfect for the upcoming season with the undertones and imagery. Here is a playlist I put together to describe the poetic sense of loss in this book. I highly recommend reading this book in a cemetery, or just in your mom’s basement. Whatever works.