Recently, I’ve been trying to find a “work-life balance.” You know that thing that influencers are always talking about? When life gets busy, instead of embarking on a novel, I choose a book of poetry instead. It’s easy to read during breaks in the day and you don’t have to jog your memory of where you left off. Plus, if someone asks you what you’re reading, it’s always nice to say “Oh, just some poetry.” I think you win extra cool points saying something like that. A couple of years ago, I went to “The Last Bookstore” in L.A. and was able to pick up a copy of Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook. It’s been awhile since I read the book and I cannot remember a single poem in it. These are two very good reasons for rereading anything, so I decided to just go for it.
Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately is a cool, trendy book of poems because it’s set up as an old cassette; there is a Side A and Side B with a song for every “track” listed. Side A has the full poem and Side B has a poem made of pieces of the full poem. I initially picked up the book because of this format as I had never seen a book of poetry structured this way. The concept is cool as it allows the reader to listen to the track associated with the poem and sort of sit there listening with the words spewed in front of you.
Unfortunately, those are the nicest words I’m going to say about the book. The book itself aside from its format is utterly boring and simplistic. The only standard that I set for poetry is whether it is capable of making me feel something. It just has to really feel as if the words are coming from some place deep and personal, that they are more than just pretty words on paper. This book… did not do that. It felt safe. The poetry didn’t help me understand what the poet was feeling.
Many readers who are not accustomed to reading poetry may assume that it is only flowery words and pretty prose. But real poetry makes you stop and think.
If you’re looking for beautiful poetry to read this summer, I suggest you look elsewhere because there are definitely many other books that are better suited to your time. While Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately sets itself up to be interesting and unique, it lacks the depth that poetry requires.