"I have written prologues in your honor, / But stories like ours aren't meant to have sequels."

Itch is Zane Frederick's third collection of poetry, choosing to focus on the rumination of old feelings and healing from prior hurt. His poetry and prose mix together the relief of healing with the ever-present ache of tarnished memories.

I am no stranger to Frederick's work, having discovered "i am tired of being a dandelion" earlier this year, so I was thrilled to get a chance to read his next collection. Wow did it deliver. There were SO many poems I could list here that stood out to me, but here are just a sampling of them: overtime, a24 reject, crumbs, mother's genes, humble abode, atoms, horcrux, hoarder, my love language must be:, dreaming tree cabernet, past due, when the writer falls, cable knit, strawberry lemonade, and landmarks.

One of my all time favorites from this collection was "little possessions" which only has twelve lines, but each felt like a punch to the gut. Frederick has a Taylor Swift level ability to craft and set a scene with only a few words before suddenly blossoming the poem out and expanding on a concept in a specific moment. Needless to say, I loved Itch and plan on getting a copy.

I am always so thrilled to receive advanced copies from Central Avenue Publishing because they continue to release collections that astound and inspire me. This newest installment from Zane Frederick is no different and I can't wait for the next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with a copy for an honest review!

I got through this collection in about a half hour, and while I didn't find it to be bad, it just didn't have any pieces that really grabbed my attention.