Celia Drill’s "The Lost World" is some of the best contemporary poetry I have ever read. Her work is enthralling; she plays with language, creating images in the mind that are a kaleidoscope of emotion and thought. I found myself highlighting entire poems instead of single lines. I read her poems two, three times over, looking for meaning withing the meaning. Drill creates surreal landscapes of sound—I read her poems out loud, wanting to feel the flow of her language.
Drill’s poem “The Raven” describes the raven thus: “When the raven appears, he is never a bird; he is always a small, dark man. He walks with a cane, with God as his witness.”
A bird dies alone in the snow: “I take her home to forest’s solace, lay her in the dark earth beneath joined pines […] The forest is mourners holding hands. My dead bird recedes into roots. And unlike me, silent stranger in dimming woods, she sings from networked branches.”
Celia Drill crafts lines of such beauty: “Rain makes widows of the ghost pines…”; “There is no time, say the dragonflies, only color.”; “Sweetness spirals from the throats of violet, coalesces, sisterhoods of stars.” Her poem “Mug for Lapsang Souchong” is as graceful as the fox that the potter dreams of.
We know writers are artists, and in "The Lost World" Celia Drill embodies this ideal. “I am only a sparrow,” she says, “but I am voluminous.”

Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Author Celia Drill, Publisher Atmosphere Press, and Platform NetGalley for providing free access to an electronic copy of this work.


Review:
Author Celia Drill demonstrates poetic skills through prose to yield stunningly visual pieces in observation, appreciation, and dissection of nature. The reasons of life are questioned as the voice presenting these questions tethers nature back to why things have happened as they have and what is the point of it all.

The first half of the collection is challenging for me to connect to, to sympathize with, even. I am not sure what the questions presented are attempting to ask nor what the messages are conveying. It is jarring for me to feel as though I am deciphering something that was written to not be understood by anyone but the writer. That leads me to disconnect entirely, to give up on these first passages often, honestly.

The second half is much more relatable and endearing. The questions presented here are more focused and inviting for readers to echo. While the first portion feels as though it is attempting, with great effort, to be deep and, consequently, stays flat, the latter genuinely dips into depth.

Overall, vibrant imagery dominates and is worth the read for painting mental art; however, I am left wondering what newness is introduced from these paintings. A suggestion- add a more explicit portrait of the painter’s story into the first half of the collection to be more vulnerable to viewers.


Recurring Themes:
-Family dynamics: abandonment, disconnect/estrangement, and absent parenting spark much of the loneliness, longing, and confusion throughout most of this collection.
-Appreciation of nature: this entire collection is grounded in the observations of natural phenomena among flora and fauna.
-Solitude, loneliness, alone: feelings of loneliness heavily line each piece’s voice.


Summary:
-Observations of this world are provided as questions of purpose and reason are presented.
-This collection presents more questions than answers, but the questions incited are often more vague than enlightening or fully thought-provoking.
-Every piece is incredibly visual; the specific imagery is superb in descriptions and analogies.
-The voice of each piece can be mainly characterized as an observer of this world, though questions of their place in this world/universe transcend this world.
-Primarily in the first half of the collection, there is a truncated stream of consciousness; this may come off as choppy and confusing for some readers. These pieces may benefit more from being written out in full versus pause-stop clauses for some readers while the intentionality of a journey through the ages, where that choppiness is appropriate in the more juvenile years, may be more easily grasped by others
-I am watching someone else’s stories/hearing them talk in real-time; these thoughts are voiced outright but yet they also feel edited for elevated prose.
-Pieces are layered with analogies, some coming off too crowded.


Highlights:
II.27: Past Life
II.28: The Poet
II.31: Father
IV.59: The Nightly Presence of Stars
IV.66: Patience

-Section V is my favorite section:
V.69: Self, Rising
V.71: Spring is Anybody’s Business
V.72: Watching Birds
V.73: River
V.75: Sun
V.76: Daffodil

VI.80: Passage
VII.99: Love
VII.101: Beach

Lingering Questions:
-What are the takeaways?
-Is this collection intended to be a reader’s journey or author’s chronicle?

Suggestions:
-Formatting seems off on a substantial amount of pieces; there are line breaks which appear unintentional, at least in the EPUB version this review is based on.
-Several pieces may benefit from reorganization of lines to accentuate content.

Thank you Netgalley & Celia Drill for the e-arc. Nice poems. Fist book of poems by this author. I loved the cover!

I was completely drawn in by the Hummingbird imagery as they have become the symbol our late daughter sends to us.

The symbolism was beautiful and thoughtful in the poems. I liked that it was broken into different pieces and times of life.

Si bien me gustó la poesía en general, no sentí una conexión emocional profunda con cada poema. Algunos me llegaron más que otros, y en ciertos casos sentí que faltaba un poco de coherencia o profundidad. Dicho esto, es una colección que invita a la reflexión y ofrece momentos de serena belleza. Es una lectura agradable si disfrutas de la poesía meditativa con imágenes ricas y con múltiples capas, aunque no diría que me cambió la vida.

The Lost World by Celia Drill is a mesmerizing poetry collection that explores the weight of relationships, the fragility of existence, and the interplay between light and darkness. Through vivid imagery and hauntingly lyrical language, Drill crafts poems that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant. The collection is a journey through emotional landscapes—where love, duty, and sacrifice intersect with the natural world in ways that are both beautiful and burdensome.

A stand-out poem, 'The Setting Sun', exemplifies the heart of this collection where the speaker supports a figure—perhaps a mother, a muse, or a metaphorical embodiment of tradition or expectation—who hovers “above the waters purple as iris fields, wild as mountains set free.” This imagery is striking, blending the ethereal with the earthly, and capturing the tension between beauty and burden. The speaker’s struggle to uphold this figure, even as their “shoulder, already bruised,” aches under the weight, speaks to themes of endurance, sacrifice, and the complex dynamics of caregiving.

Drill’s poetry is rich with natural imagery, often using the ocean, the sky, and the earth as metaphors for emotional states whilst giving a sense of instability and impermanence, mirroring the speaker’s internal turmoil. Her language is both accessible and profound, making the poems resonate with a wide range of readers. Yet, there is also a quiet strength in the speaker’s resolve, a “soul’s strength” that persists even as they “beg for night.” This duality—of fragility and resilience, light and darkness—runs throughout the collection, creating a deeply layered and emotionally resonant reading experience. I do not feel the poems in The Lost World are not meant to be read quickly; they demand to be savoured, each line unfolding like a wave upon the shore.

Celia Drill’s ability to weave together personal reflection and universal truth makes this collection a deeply moving and memorable read. Whether you are a seasoned poetry lover or new to the genre, this book will leave you reflecting on your own experiences of loss, memory, and the enduring beauty of the world around us.

A luminous and haunting exploration of love, sacrifice, and the natural world, The Lost World is a poetry collection that will leave readers breathless and deeply moved.

From the moment I started the first poem I knew this is a 5 stars from me. The language is beautiful, gorgeous and chilling imagery that evoked deep emotions out of me. I've reread each of those poems multiple times.
I would love to read prose from this author.

A huge thank you to Celia Drill (author) and Netgalley for the opportunity to explore this lovely and thought provoking selection of poetry.

I have to admit something from the start. This review comes from someone who believes she can't read or understand poetry. But still enjoys exploring poetry on occasion.

Some of the poetry just did not resonate with me personally. I didn't feel I could grasp the messages the author was trying to convey. Whilst trying to figure out the words I lost connection.
However, I could resonate with much of the imagery and could believe that someone who reads or studies poetry, would be better equipped in understanding and enjoying it more fully.

I felt there was lots of water and reflection within the words and also lots of movement. Especially through birds and other animals. I really enjoyed the poem Drunkennes: I feel like a horse in gallop...

There was colour and contrasting vibrance. Some works explored grey and cold where others explored hopeful yellow and greens.

"Christmas Card from Father" particularly stood out to me. It felt like stepping onto a Christmas card scene as I was reading and brought a feeling of childhood wonder around Christmas.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time exploring this poetry book.

I found "The Lost World" by Celia Drill to be an enjoyable collection of poetry, though not entirely groundbreaking. The imagery is beautiful and evocative, offering readers a journey through both the tangible and metaphysical aspects of life. Drill’s ability to turn simple details into meditative reflections—like the robins' eggs or the hummingbird as a “lone angel”—is impressive. I particularly appreciated the lyrical, almost musical quality of the prose, with its internal rhymes and rhythmic flow.

While I liked the poetry overall, I didn’t feel a deep emotional connection with every piece. Some poems resonated more with me than others, and I found myself needing a bit more coherence or depth in a few of the pieces. That said, it’s a collection that invites contemplation and offers moments of serene beauty. It’s a nice read if you enjoy meditative poetry with rich, layered imagery, though I wouldn't say it was life-changing.

A solid 3 ⭐ for its creativity and grace, but I was hoping for a bit more to fully captivate me.