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Reading Kim Addonizio is sort of like reading a slutty, less dorky Billy Collins. By that I mean this: It's enjoyable, even sometimes touching, but in the way that hearing from your slightly obnoxious drunk cousin can be entertaining. You get tired of them.Most of these poems are fun, sometimes even funny, and there is a certain charm of her ability to write about things that most people would simply refuse to turn into a poem; for instance, the crappy computer game "Bugdom" turned out to be whi...
‘When I walk in,Men buy me drinks before I even reach the bar.They fall in love with me after one night, even if we never touch.I tell you I’ve got this shit down to a science.They sweat with my memory,Alone in cheap rooms as they listenTo moans through the wall and wonder if that’s me,Letting out a scream as the train whines by.But I’m already two states away, lying with a boyI let drink rain from the pulse at my throat.No one leaves me, I’m the one that Chooses.I show up like money on the side...
You might give it five stars, too, if someone you were falling in love with gave you an audio recording of the poem "fuck" and then followed it up with the whole book. Or you might, anyway, if you just like gritty and sensual poetry that's actually GOOD. Addonizio is at her best when writing about the body, and time, and time's effects on the body, and I will definitely be reading more of her.
First KissKim AddonizioAfterwards you had that drunk, drugged look my daughter used to get, when she had let go of my nipple, her mouth gone slack and her eyes turned vague and filmy, as though behind them the milk was rising up to fill her whole head, that would loll on the small white stalk of her neck so I would have to hold her closer, amazed at the sheer power of satiety, which was nothing like the needing to be fed, the wild flailing and crying until she fastened herself to me and made the...
Addonizio's poems are raw, passionate and painful. She doesn't hold back for anyone. She doesn't care about what makes you uncomfortable or what makes you look a little deeper than you wanted to within yourself. And there were times when I felt these ways, but I loved every single second of it. What Is This Thing Called Love: Poems is divided into five sections, each hitting on a different type of love. Though not every poem resonates, the majority had an effect similar to feeling as though my s...
What is this thing called poetry? As a recovering poet, I've devoted no small amount of thought to this subject. The best answer I can give you is tinfoil in the microwave. That's poetry. Unfortunately, most poetry reads more like saran wrap in the refrigerator. Which is why it was such a pleasure to happen upon this collection. While it doesn't quite approach the level of a full-blown kitchen disaster, certainly there are sparks. And it's always nice to find a soul as morbid as I am (see "31-Ye...
It may be easier to speed the process of oxidation than to hold on to the illusions of communication. Nor can the sign for water quench the flames in my lungs. It only inhales loads of silence which connect and separate us according to the twists and turns of the plot.
Addonizio is my favorite poet out there! I am reading everything she's written. You don't just read it; you live it, know it in your internal organs! Brilliant and wrenching! LOVE!
After reading the first fifty pages of this, I had to dnf it. Can't believe it's written by someone who wrote my favourite poetry collection of all time Tell Me: Poem!
This poetry collection is so honest and raw, the way things are described and how easy it is to read but difficult to take in. Loved it, will definitely recommend.
Addonizio continues to kick my feet from under me, slam me remorselessly to the mat, and growl in my ear, "Had enough, girl?"Highly recommended.
Now I know it's going to sound weird to those of you who heard me rant about gratuitous sexual comments thrown into poetry that I actually enjoyed this book, which contains poems that have quite a bit of sexual energy charged into nearly every one. Before I even get to the text, I think I need to explain why it works here.I think the reason is that since the language of the poetry is that of a sexual nature--this is a set of poems that have a lot to say about sex and relationships--the sexual re...
Addonizio is like the feminine equivalent of Bukowski. This analogy came up to my mind even before I fell on the title of her autobiographical pieces in Bukowski In A Sundress. Probably it’s because of the booze and the explicit language in her writings. Actually, she has once defined herself as "Emily Dickinson with a strap-on" and that she got drunk at poetry conferences.With the frequent employment of bold expressions and smutty imagery in her poems, we get the impression that Addonizio is vi...
FOLLOW-UP REVIEW:Rereading What is This Thing Called Love, I am struck by the brilliance of this collection. In my initial review, I talked about how the book plays with Addonizio's party girl persona, exploring sex and death. I stand by that observation, but I think the poems are richer upon revisiting. This is a book in love with living, and it also attempts to reconcile the idea to love means to face fear and loss as well. Lots of beautiful work here. This collection ranks with Mortal Trash a...
Reading poetry from a familiar poet and knowing it's going to be good is one thing, reading poetry from a poet you know nothing about and being blown away is quite another. Kim Addonizio has reaffirmed my faith that poetry in the 21st century is alive and kicking. Her verse is down to earth, dealing with everyday issues, and I love the fact she doesn't hold back, expressing her most intimate thoughts with a sexuality you can almost feel dripping from her words. It's uncomfortable and raw at time...
KissesAll the kisses I’ve ever been given, today I feel them on my mouth,And my knees feel them, the reckless ones placed therethrough the holes in my jeans while I sat on a car hoodor a broken sofa in somebody’s basement, stoned, the way I wasin those days, still amazed that boys and even men would want tolower their beautiful heads like horses drinking from a river and taste me.The back of my neck feels them, my hair swept aside to expose my nape,and my breasts tingle the way they did when my
I believe I liked this one better than Lucifer at the Starlite but not quite as much as Tell Me. It was still totally excellent and deserves the same five stars as those collections received from me. Favorite poem: "Bugdom."
I've become a fan of Kim Addonizio over the past couple years after reading many of her poems scattered across the web. I've used many of her poems with horror movie themes in my classroom, and I love how accessible her work is while also being earthy, sensual, and cheeky. More people truly should be familiar with her work.That said, What Is This Thing Called Love is just the first book of her poetry I've read. It's at turns sexy and honest and playful and raw. The second section of the book (a
What is This Thing Called Love, poems by Kim Addonizio. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2004. Kim Addonizio is a fantastic poet. This book absolutely portrays her talent. What is This Thing Called Love is a collection of poems for young adults – I’d recommend 18+ as some poems could be too mature for younger individuals – divided into five sections. The first two sections are very clear: the first is about love and the second about death and aging. The final three sections are a mixture of thes...
Amazing. One of those books that rose up out of the morass of our national pain in 2004 to be an example of a master poet's ability to salve harsh wounds. I continue to be astounded at Addonizio's ability to elevate the every day to a state of grace, of holy virtue, yet do so in such plain language. The artistry here is fine. I was particularly moved by the piece, "February 14," a poem for the medical team who helped the speaker's brother get a new liver, and by "One Nation Under God," which sho...