I'm going to give a little backstory before beginning this review: I was never fond of poetry. Everyone found it to be a lousy claim because, hey, I'm a writer, so naturally, I have to like every genre given to me to read. But truthfully, poetry was never my cup of tea.
However, as with most of their genres, Sera Drake has once again dazzled me with their expressive prose and their ability to describe a scene while also keeping it vague. I'm not sure if that's even possible, but I was enamored, smitten, enraptured by their most recent book, Excavations. This is my first time reading and reviewing a full book of poetry, and it's something I highly recommend to anyone looking to read, well, anything!
As I've stated before, Drake has a talent with their word play, but there are a few specifics I'm about to dive in that have personally captured me. The poem that spoke to me the most was "Supper", a poem looking at what seems to be a dinnertime event with the author's and themself, an odd statement, but one that I interpreted as something holding greater meaning. The way that Drake personalizes the other part of themself separate from how they describe the narrator (bear with me, I know this can sound quite convolutive) makes the reader question their own character and thoughts. The setting is plain yet beautiful, like having dinner with one's partner, and yet it reminds me of the value of self-love.
Another poem I found to be quite moving was "O Brave New World". Honestly, all of the poems were incredible, but these two have imprinted on my mind the most. "O Brave New World", an ode to Mary Shelley and written with her work, Frankenstein, in mind, captured me with this line:
"What is ocean? but a great pregnant goddess, heaving to give birth, yet ready to swallow up any, all, to feed the hungry void that is the foetus that was her heart."
When I read this line, I thought my heart nearly stopped, because my God, it was incredible! It seized me and made me immediately aware of how deep Drake has thought of these poems. To personify the ocean as this motherlike figure isn't often found in literature, and I applaud Drake for their ability to write out of bounds, not only in this specific poem, but in all of their poems.
No matter how simple, small, big, or prose-heavy their work is, Drake's Excavations is a poetry book that will forever remain in my heart. It's inspired me to take a look at the world through a new lens, and I encourage everyone to give this book a try! Any kind of reader will enjoy it, honestly, from those well-versed in the works of poetry to those just getting into it. It's incredible!
TW: It's important to note that some of these poems depict moments of intensity that some readers may not be comfortable with. Please take care of yourselves ❤️
