Review by Abuterera13 -- Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly

[Abuterera13]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly" by Raed Anis Aljishi.]
[rbc=4]id84522-125[/rbc]Bleeding Gull is a collection of short poems written by Raed Anis Al- Jishi. He hails from Qateef, Saudi Arabia, a city known for its poetry. His eighty-eight poems in this collection do great justice to the city’s reputation. His heritage can be traced in the choice of words he uses in his poems. The poems are short and mostly written in free verse. They tackle issues of love, desire, motherhood, religion, grief, autism, cancer and death. The poems did not feature rhyme and repetition but banked greatly on strong imagery to convey different messages. It helps create clear and vivid images of the actions and emotions depicted in the poem.

Although the poems are short, they shook me. They expressed real, raw and relatable emotions that left me overwhelmed. Lines like “And a crow of death caws harmoniously...” from “Harmony” and “What do I look like?” from “Blindness” stunned me. Some poems were suspenseful leaving you with questions, like the poem “The Fifth Gate”. A number of poems were easy to figure out while others were vague and completely mysterious.

The topics in each poem vary; for example Smiling, Imazigh, Pregnancy, Hero and eighty four others. Certain poems talk about the topic directly; a few mirror completely different emotions from what the topic suggests while others reflect the exact experiences and emotions that the topic proposes. Though the book does not offer much information about the author, the poems give clues about the author, his culture, his religion, and his beliefs.

I was captivated by the author’s ability to create pieces that explore human’s life. The different stages of life are written in different point of views therefore making the poems accessible to anyone. This art creatively holds the reader’s attention. However, this book is not an easy read. Personally, I had to re-read a poem a couple of times before I could follow the drift. I also had to do a lot of research about the Islamic religion and the author’s culture to completely comprehend the poems.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because this intricate collection of poems not only challenged me but also evoked human emotion. It allowed me sight to look at the world, a feel of all human emotions and flight to fly like the gull. Although I still do not comprehend a few poems, the book is a great read. I did not encounter any errors. I recommend this collection of poems to educators and lovers of poetry.

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Bleeding Gull - look, feel, fly
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