Head off and Split
Head off and Split was no ordinary book to sit down and read through as one may do, this poetry book requires patience, resilience, and a mind to wonder. I often felt it difficult to read and found myself re-reading lines, stanzas, and entire poems when I could not process what I had just read. It was not that the material lacked anything in particular, it was one of the heaviest readings I encountered which then only caused me to feel as if I was missing the bigger picture.
Nikky Finney without a second guess is beyond a writer and poet, she is a marvelous storyteller and I could not just settle for breaking down and comprehending her work. Her poems are continuous and as soon as you turn the page for the rest of the story, you remember it is only a short story. It felt as if I was reading a history book that was hidden and only to be found because someone had the strength to re-write it the correct way. Finney's work was poetically soft, it did not aim to hurt anyone or bring down anyone but be its own light and honor those who contributed. I admired the load of the book, I wanted more, I craved more, I felt more.
"The Clitoris" is the one poem I found to be extremely different from all the other work in this book. It seemed to be out of the bubble, embodying a woman's body by breaking it down as the one thing that can never be mapped or understood is a way of pointing out the power of the body. "but like Africa, the continent, it is never drawn to size." This gives us an image of just how much others try to understand a woman's body without knowing the strength it brings with the force. If you're looking for a quick read to occupy your mind and fill it with the necessary topics that need to be discussed, Nikky Finney isn't one to disappoint you.
"reading a history book that was hidden and only to be found because someone had the strength to re-write it the correct way" is exactly what it felt like reading this collection. I thought Finney did an amazing job bringing life to history that's been chopped away.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way! While I was reading, I had to go back and re read a poem three times but if felt like my brain telling me there was a reason to go back and re read some of her poems. I feel like Finney's book of poems is something I will keep going back to re read simply for the art of her poetry plus I feel like each time I go back I will learn something new from a poem I've read so many times but I feel that is what makes a great poet someone that transforms thought and language.
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