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REVIEW - Constellation by @Ardra06

The poetry collection Constellation by Ardra06 follows a thematic cycle of personal poems about youth, family, motherhood, love, regret, acceptance, and nature.

Quick remark: English is not my first language; therefore, most of my analysis will reference German terminology. Please notify me if any terminology is unfamiliar or different in English.

As a guide for navigating your way, crafting your path, and finding connections between experiences, the cycle utilizes the themes of planetary constellations to introduce each poem. Historical, astronomical, mythical, and celestial facts provided a valuable reference to understand the background of each poem, offering knowledge that I wasn't even aware of. Unfortunately, I couldn't discern a clear connection between the title and the content of each poem. I assumed that each poem would somehow reference the star constellations thematically or contemplate the vastness of the cosmos as it relates to the human experience (perhaps in a Lovecraftian manner). Furthermore, the poems (or groupings I made) didn't exhibit any narrative connection between each other.

Poems 1-7 focus on the author's personal experiences, centering around family neglect, motherhood, estranged parents, childhood, love, self-doubt, regret, and acceptance. I understand that these are highly emotional instances in the author's life, and I can emphasize that these poems serve as an outlet to cope with their experiences. Nevertheless, the first few poems feel a little too intimate in the way they are written. Adding a certain level of obscurity could have enhanced their intrigue.

For the most part, the language maintains a stunning lyrical tone, and I wished it leaned more into this aspect. Especially, the poems describing nature were beautiful. Most metaphors were apt, although certain word choices, such as 'UV rays,' 'peppery,' and 'say nope,' felt jarring to me or were too simple to be considered double entendres. Depicted experiences, like the mentioned divorce or the neglected nephew, were more gripping at times than the broader generalizations of emotional states, and I had hoped that the initial poems would focus more on specific events in greater detail.

In Poems 8-10, the author wrestles with their love for the English language and their passion as a writer, which stands in stark contrast to their academic career.

These were probably my least favorite poems. Even though they remained personal, they seemed somewhat flat. In the poem Aries, I expected the author to personify the English language and express an intense admiration, akin to an obsessed lover or to incorporate a mythical allusion to Ares and Aphrodite. Once more, the poems generalized the themes broadly and missed the essence.

Poems 11-13 were my favorites. They included classic forms such as sonnets and a Pantun, a Malay oral poetic form. Narratively, they were better executed than the previous ones. They illustrated the essence of fall, a sunrise, a journey, and friendship in a unique manner, capturing the encounters subtly. The author demonstrated a great understanding of these classic forms. However, the meter in both sonnets was off. A Shakespearean sonnet typically follows an iambic pentameter, a verse with ten syllables ending on a stressed (male) cadence. A Petrarchan sonnet uses hendecasyllables, with eleven syllables alternating between stressed (male) and unstressed (female) cadence. While a writer is not obliged to use this meter, there should be a certain cohesiveness in terms of the sonnet's meter. Additionally, the rhyme scheme in the Pantun was incorrect; traditionally, it should be ABAB, but the author used AABB. (It's worth noting that the graveyard versions adhered more closely to the classic forms than the final versions.)

Overall, the rhyme schemes were decent, typically following the standard ABAB or AABB structure, but some of the rhymes felt forced (e.g., ending each verse of a stanza with 'universe' without ambiguity). Furthermore, most poems lacked a consistent meter, which made reading them feel disjointed. In my humble opinion, poems don't necessarily need to adhere to a rhythmic meter unless the author employs thematic rhetorical devices or rhymes. In such cases, the poem should follow a rhythm.

In general, this collection is deeply personal. It reflects the author's genuine emotions and captures feelings that I can personally relate to. I would recommend focusing on establishing a cohesive framework, especially if these poems are meant to follow the narrative themes of star constellations. Additionally, consider a more subtle expression and portrayal of deeply personal events, and decide on a rhythmic meter to let the language, and ultimately the poems, shine.

UnknownName824

Constellation

Genre: Poetry

Focus on: Everything