Zane Frederick: i am tired of being a dandelion
A beautiful, heartbreaking, but relatable poetry read.
I want to start out by saying this poetry book inspired a poem I recently wrote titled Dandelion Clocks, which I will share with you very soon! I particularly enjoyed reading this collection because of the range of unexpected imagery. In my opinion, this is one of the most exciting aspects of poetry because poets always seem to find new, visceral ways of describing simple things.
“I burn my tongue calling to you” – Page 39
It is such an original and striking image, which allows the reader to feel all the meaning behind the line. Describing the ache of longing in this way feels fresh but relatable and rounds up the poem powerfully and memorably. As well as themes of longing, this poem also includes undertones of an abusive or unhappy relationship. This isn’t necessarily obvious at the surface level, but as you look deeper into the piece, you can see this is a clear message from the poet.
“I carry a bouquet of burnt-out daydreams – Page 72
The poem titled, When My Father Doesn’t Walk Me Down the Aisle, is a creative and heartfelt poem about facing the harsh reality that the speaker is alone. It has a weird mix of self-acceptance and heartbreak, which works perfectly well in the poem. The speaker has come to terms with not having a partner and will not be getting married. This is my initial thought about the poem upon first reading, but as you re-read, you will notice a noticeable theme of accepting that the speaker is alone. This piece was thought-provoking and packed with great imagery in such a short poem.
As well as beautiful, thought-provoking poetry, the book includes a number of drawings and graphics which help to split the poems and share the poet’s ideas in a different manner. Some graphics are just drawings and pictures, others have poems included in them, which I found interesting and very clever.
The Two poems I have mentioned above are definitely my favourites. If these themes seem like something you’d like to read about, I’d one hundred percent recommend this book. It is a nice, easy read with beautiful imagery and pictures to break up the poetry.