The Withering, By Ashley Dioses
The
Withering, by Ashley Dioses: Jackanapes Press, 135 pages. Poetry.
I picked up a signed
copy of this book from the author and read it over about a week to savor the
poetry inside. There are 55 poems, divided into 4 sections entitled: A Luminous
Darkness, Pale Radiance, Night Cries, and A is for Axe Murderer. In an Afterword,
the author tells us a little about her genesis as a poet and about the pieces
in the collection. She indicates that these are primarily pieces from early in
her writing career, dating back even to high school. (She has actually had a previous collection
of poetry published called Diary of a Sorceress, which contains poems
from later in her career.)
The collection
is impressive for a writer of such youth. I also wrote some poetry at a young
age but nothing as erudite as these. They are definitely not juvenilia, but
fully realized and articulate pieces. They are rhyming poems, written around
horror themes, and often with a formal structure. It’s a difficult style to
master but Dioses moves through them with verve and confidence.
My favorites in
the collection are “Obliterate,” “Hollow King,” and “I am the most Beautiful Angel.” Here’s a
quatrain from “Obliterate.”
The stones
erode away,
And tales evaporate.
All memories
decay,
The years
obliterate.
There are also
many other wonderful lines in other pieces, such as “My heart and soul are
sparrow-black” and “Then scents of smoke, of myrrh, of rum,…”
There’s an outstanding
cover by Mutartis Boswell, whose work I don’t remember seeing before but which
I imagine I’ll see a lot of in the future. Boswell also did numerous interior
illustrations for the book, which are set beautifully to really enhance the
presentation of the poetry.
All in all, The
Withering is a very professional package filled with some lovingly crafted
and memorable poems. If you’re into dark poetry, this is an excellent reading
choice.
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