Sun Rising Poetry Press Announces the Upcoming Release of Sirrus Poe's Newest Collection, A Mother's Supposed Love.

September 17, 2004 -- A Mother's Supposed Love is a journey, through poetry, of one man who must take the knowledge of the past and deal with it, then ultimately learn to live with that knowledge. This book takes a reader through horrendous events of an abused childhood, to the conflicted middle years, then finally to the point of life where he finds himself today. He may still be learning how to live and love, but it is the urge to do that living and loving that demonstrates how even the worst situations do not control the outcome, or kill the man who wants to be present and seen.

A few reviews of the book:

Review by M.A.Griffiths
One of the perennial questions in poetry is the nature of the first person. Is it a fictional, or an autobiographical narrator? In this collection of poems, it is clear that the author is sharing his own life, and the result is a moving record of love denied and love discovered.

The collection is set out as a journey and takes the reader 'From the Beginning of the Path' to 'Walking the Path to What May Wait Ahead'

With a book of poetry, I find I often dip into it at random, reading one or two pieces, but with 'A Mother's Supposed Love' I found I read the poems from beginning to end, each poem reflecting on the one that preceded and succeeded it.

The first poem 'She Sees She Doesn't Want Me (Before Birth)' begins the story on a poignant note, from the viewpoint of the unwanted child in the womb:

'She does not see me,
sees the scaled torso of a past man;
penis replaced with an eye that watches
over her future. '

And the child responds:
'cut me loose, let me run
before tomorrow comes.'

From there, the reader is taken on a roller-coaster ride of emotions through an unhappy childhood, and the scars that remain into later life, but the author's success is that, despite the description of abuse and neglect, the effect is not ultimately depressing.

There is a satisfying variety in these poems, from simple poignancy :

.. Do you remember the day we met?
The day the doctor announced a healthy baby
boy? The days you made me eat the leftovers
of my brother and sister? The day you slipped
the molded cheese beneath the door? The days
you sent me to a room if someone I did not know
came to visit? The day the snow stopped
and I watched through a pane of glass the building
of snowmen and angels being formed? The day
you built the altar and prayed that that was the day
it would end? Do you remember my features,
the ones that you see in the mirror? Do you remember
the sound of my voice, or the music of my laughter?
Do you remember my name? Do you remember anything?
(from 'To Meet in Prayer With Mother')
to a more complex, mythic voice:

'I Dreamt of My Mother's Funeral

Head bowed I see blush removed,
arms unable to swing crossed
over quiet chest and lips
that no longer mouth words
of heat, eyes hidden beneath
lids which cover unwant. Waist
down she is swallowed
by oak that suffocates birth-
place of germ and cuts
off legs that refuse to run
from one she must love. '

I did not find this book an easy read - the emotions are often raw, and often painful -and I can only salute the courage and honesty of these poems. The over-riding effect is that of hope and love, of the endurance of the human spirit.

C. E. Laine on Sirrus Poe's "A Mother's Supposed Love"
These raw, dark words will jolt you. A deeply personal and disturbing read. Sirrus Poe takes you on an intimate journey. Buckle up. It's a bumpy ride.

C. E. Laine, Poet, Postcards From a Summer Girl, and Editor of Verse Libre Quarterly

Nora Weston on "A Mother's Supposed Love"
"A Mother's Supposed Love" causes you to ponder about your past so that you can live better in the present. It's a five star read.

Nora Weston, Author and Poet
Warning: Poe's latest collection is not for the faint of heart. There are more questions than answers in this starkly brutal coming-of-age. In the final analysis, Poe holds back nothing, and through that willingness, gains all; transcending, and transmuting pain into poetry. Through the eyes of this childhood one may take the measure of the man. This man has overcome.

Freada Dillon, Author, Poet and Poetry Editor for Beginnings Magazine, Burning Word, and Fiction editor for Insolent Rudder

Sirrus Poe offers an intense and very intimate look inside one man's psyche. He allows the reader to follow this man (him) on a journey from birth to adulthood, sharing his experiences and feelings. Sometimes raw, occasionally explicit and disturbing, but always compelling, his words strike home with the force of a child's worst nightmare. But it is a nightmare threaded with hope and in the end the reader is left with a sense that the future will be brighter than the past . A fascinating read.

Marlicia Fernandez, Author and Poet

More reviews and a few poems from the book are available at http://www.sirruspoe.com under the book news heading.




This article courtesy of http://ma-at.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.

Submit Your Article