This is a lovely collection. It's a bit more dense than a lot of the poetry I've been reading lately, and as usual, the introduction is somewhat excruciating (I wish publications would put these notes at the back of the chapbook, just in general... why are we being told how to analyze poetry we haven't had a chance to enjoy yet?). The intro did serve as a reminder that I am absolutely, 100% missing some of the poetry's depth and imagery included in these poems.

Which, honestly, was fine, because Oburumu's work is beautiful. The line structure is often quite interesting, and there are words that are unexpectedly added in (or left out) that significantly change the meaning of the line in ways that bear rereading. In other words, if you're skimming and your brain fills in the blanks, you *will* miss what the line really says. If I were still reading poetry as an academic, I'm sure that this is the kind of work where I could pick each line apart and find multiple layers of meaning within.

Mostly, though, it's just beautiful. I found myself reading certain lines aloud, or rereading stanzas a couple of times in a row. The prose-poems in particular are breathtaking.

I read this book as an ARC through NetGalley, and I can see why this debut collection won the Sillerman prize. I'd love to read more of Oburumu's work in the future.

It’s been awhile since I’ve felt the urge to read poetry. I will admit, I have been a bit jaded from my previous poetry reads so I decided to take a bit of a break.

A couple pages after reading Oburumu’s work and I was instantly reminded why I loved reading poetry so much. Oburumu is masterful in his craft; his talent transcends borders. I would best describe this collection as ethereal yet grounded and earthly. Needless to stay, I finished this collection feeling inspired.

The African Poetry Book Series consistently puts out great collection after great collection. I went into this with high hopes because I’ve really enjoyed the other collections put out by this publication and I was still so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed these poems! The first section is particularly striking but I really enjoyed all of the poems in this. Great collection!