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I wouldn’t call myself a poetry expert, just to make sure that’s known. However, this collection of poems from Victoria Halton enveloped me in a cocoon of emotions because it was abundantly clear that every single word published in each and every poem came from her soul.
That’s the thing with poetry. It has to come from the writer’s very being. You could read a poem which English teachers will tell you are perfect; it follows the rules of poetry with the right amount of stanzas and rhymes in the proper places. But just because that poem has been manufactured to hit all of the ‘correct’ criteria, it might not actually be any good – especially if it doesn’t actually evoke an emotional response in the reader. So, for the purposes of this review, that’s what I’m judging this collection on. Whether they’ve evoked an emotional reaction within myself. And I can honestly, hand on heart say, that each poem in this collection has got to me in one way or another.
The first few of these poems are about love – no, that’s almost too simple a description of what they’re about. They’re about making that deep, meaningful, almost telepathic connection with another person; whether they’re your one true love or your love right now. They discuss sex in the abstract, with references to books and games; and discuss ways to be connected without having to be intimate. But they’re all, most importantly, about seeing beyond the shiny, perfect exterior and inside to the real person.
Then there’s the poems which delve deeper into the psyche; showing you that sometimes what you see really is what you get. That surrounding yourself with toxic people who continuously drain your own mental resources is not healthy. One poem, in particular, spoke to me in a way that no other poem ever has – TO SEE (Remake) so accurately describes the way I was once treated by an individual, I had tears in my eyes.
Some of the poems are long, and some are short. All are heartfelt. All are accompanied by a beautiful image, capturing the poems themes. All are exceptional.
S. A.
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC Program. You can read the original review here.
You can buy Defining Reality by clicking on its name.