Review by Norach -- Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly

[NRoach]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly" by Raed Anis Aljishi.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Bleeding Gull is a collection of short poems by Raed Anis Al-Jishi, from Saudi Arabia. The poems are bound together by a thread of decisive moments in life, such as breast cancer, and rely heavily on imagery over meter or any more formal poetic structure.

I struggled with Bleeding Gull, as many of the poems could be described as a literary Jackson Pollock, with words and meaning splattered onto the page. This produces some poignant pieces, my favourite being Creation, but it is a tightrope over incoherence. It was common to see terms that I'm unfamiliar with, generally from Raed's native Arabic, and that led me to the conclusion that much of the imagery and symbolism simply might not translate across cultures. One example that stood out to me was “Tulip origins”. Of course in Western canon, as far as I know, tulips don't have any such connotation, but they may well do in the Arabic tradition.

Raed's attachment to abstraction makes it difficult to evaluate the poetry. Any given poem could be totally nonsensical, frayed at the seams by a flawed understanding of English, or it could be a majestic piece of metaphor which has gone totally over my head. Modern English poetry frequently makes us of so called “ten dollar words”, slotted in for mood over literal meaning, and it's hard to tell if Raed is continuing this technique or struggling with vocabulary over his head.

I don't want to come down on Bleeding Gull too hard, though. I think it might well be suited to a coffee table, to be treated like Swiss chocolate. Break off a piece, and savour it, drill into it, and see what flavours come out. This kind of poetry needs time and contemplation, and a hefty dose of reader enthusiasm to shine, just like how wine tasters swill and art critics stare for much longer than any other consumer would.

Ultimately, though, poetry is subjective. I do think there are at least some pieces in here for everyone, even if you don't tend to read poetry, as long as you're willing to spend some time with them. You may find yourself frustrated at the noisy, disconnected imagery, or it may click with you and be one of the best things you'll read this year. Personally, though, I spent a little too much time feeling the former.

I give Bleeding Gull a 2 out of 4.

******
Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly
View: on Bookshelves

Like Norach's review? Post a comment saying so!