Customer Reviews

eyes of a boy, lips of a man

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw this guy perform at the Bug Bar in London. His first words were, "It was a love inspired by her motion like his mother's..." I had to buy the book!

I have no regrets. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that this book was written by a man (no offense intended) because it's so raw. The imagery is deep and very powerful. The emotion is real, and I love his first lines! "The Bite" (p7) starts with; "the first caress was under water", "Sakumono Magic" (p5) uses a simple but effective image to draw you in: "a silver morning sky is the reflection that hums around his thighs." In my current favorite poem, "Rendezvous with Death", Nii makes death seem a less threatening thing. He welcomes it on one condition: that it comes with flowers so his "bed wouldn't stink"!

My only complaint is that it's too short, and one of the poems reads backwards. I can't wait for his next collection.

As a friend of the author, these opinions cannot help but be slightly biased, although there are overiding facts that cannot be overstated. Firstly, Nii Parkes is an exciting poet with a unique voice. He has the ability to captivate on the page, equally as well as I have seen him do behind the microphone.
He has, what I believe to be the most essential tool of any poet, which is the ability to throttle the reader in just one line. And yet, his work is often tender, beautiful, poignant and sorrowing. In this collection it is hard to know what is coming next, which shows that Nii Parkes has a depth and resonance to his work that surprises and enriches the mind of any reader.

I'm still trying to understand what modern poetry is, because of the freedom that expressions such as 'free verse' give to anybody at all to say what's on their mind without giving a hoot as to how they say it (i.e., form).

But this book touches. It moves.

Nii has the expressions to impress and the feelings to move you. The bit about hearing the death of a father and what happens afterwards is so insightfully written and just beautiful.

A short collection that resonates in the mind hours after reading.

truly genius! this cat is deep! fantabulous! totally inspirational, thought provoking and definitely words of the finest calibre ever used together. Nobel peace prize, watch out! we got a contender on the raise.