01/19/2015
Stewart calls poetry her “emotional diary,” and in this warm and intimate collection she exudes a quiet and heightened sensitivity to the world around her. The diaristic feel is evident and her writing is strongest when she detaches herself from the speaker of the poem, as in “Heart of Gold,” where she writes, “Love. It takes but she can’t take it,/ Don’t they know even gold bends.” Her examination of love is steeped in a soft and delicate understanding of its complexities. At times, however, Stewart’s writing veers into clichés, as when she describes New York’s skyscrapers as “defying gravity,” or when she states that “ime changes everything.” Such sentiments may be true, but they lack the subtlety and nuance associated with contemporary poetry and sound unimaginative. Yet while some poems falter in their technique, or adopt a didactic tone, many beam with passion. In one of the book’s most vivid moments, in the poem “Damaged,” she explores violence using color as a metaphor and employs repetition to create a sense of urgency. Stewart writes, “I want them to say that it is okay for me to feel as much as I do,” and though there are formal missteps, her poetry is full with feeling. (BookLife)
