One of my goals for this year in terms of reading is to read more poetry, hence why I picked up For When She’s Feeling Blue by Edgar Holmes, which you can find on libris.ro. Although I might come off as a grinch, I can’t help noting that this is the least enjoyable poetry collection I have ever read, and, while there are about three hidden gems in it, most poems feel like everyday statements. The entire book is about the poet giving advices and reassurance for his supposed lover, who comes off as a fragile being. While the concept is not unfamiliar, in this particular case its approach is similar to someone throwing together a bunch of words and calling it poetry.
Rating this book feels bizarre as rating someone’s feelings for their lover on a five-star scale isn’t necessarily the right thing to do; however, I have to rate it, so…this book is a one-star read. One thing I can appreciate: Holmes’ persistence and determination to understand and reassure his girlfriend of the love he carries for her in his heart. Leaving aside his intention(s), his poetry is flat and lacking both depth and emotion, being mostly characterized by straightforward words that are rather statements than poems. While I understand what he wanted to convey, I can’t help associating his lines with searching for “love quotes” on Tumblr around 2008 or with the typical pick-me-up love songs teenagers were listening to when falling in love for the first time. Perhaps if I were younger I would’ve appreciated his poetry more, and I am sure there are many people who do, but at this stage in life five words don’t always make for a poem.
For When She’s Feeling Blue, I believe, should have been kept between the poet and his lover, especially because it is so personal that it is quite difficult to relate to any of the poems in it. Besides, certain lines feel like sentences one encounters in their everyday conversations, while others feel like some kind of stream of consciousness that determined the poet to write everything that crossed his mind (which, again, isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t always make for a valuable poem either). These being said, this is my first one-star read this year, and while I can’t and won’t recommend the poetry collection for it’s literary value, I do recommend reading it so you have something to compare your next read to.
Title: For When She’s Feeling Blue
Author: Edgar Holmes
Publication Date: 2018
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Format: Paperback|118 pages
Török J. Sándor 