As someone in love with words and the many ways they can be used, I often find myself down rabbit-holes when I come across writers or speakers that form words in unique and ambiguous ways. This is what happened when I found Savannah Brown’s videos on YouTube. From the moment I heard her talk in her video, I knew I had to read one of her books. She had a way of speaking that leaves behind threads of deeper meaning. After watching that first video, I instantly bought one of her books. And that book was Sweetdark, a collection of poetry.
Sweetdark by Savannah Brown | Buy on Amazon US | Buy on Amazon UK
About Sweetdark
Author: Savannah Brown
Pages: 101
Date Published: 8th October 2020
Book Description
A poetry collection exploring themes of vulnerability, pleasure and chaos. Sweetdark looks at how experiences in life can often be dark yet sweet at the same moment. Sweetdark is the second collection of poems published by Savannah Brown. The first being Graffiti.
My Thoughts
For someone like me who is a sucker for good prose and mind-bending metaphors, this collection was nothing short of euphoric. Each poem has its set theme, but Savannah covers so much ground within a short number of words.
The tone of these poems lives up to the title. These thoughts are dark and at times cynical. But they’re delivered in a way that shows there is always promise to hold onto.
Savannah Brown hails from Ohio but now lives in London. And the beautiful city of London is often weaved into the many observations eternalised in Sweetdark. The words are so vividly painted that the poetry feels more like a reel of visuals than words on a page. I’ve seen poetry collections that weave in artistic visuals to compliment the work, and although there’s not one piece of art inserted (at least in the Kindle version), this book felt like it did indeed include visual detail.
I like to call myself a writer, but in truth, I could only wish to utilize words in this manner. Savannah displays how to use words in ways I never imagined. Her use of metaphors are excellent. She makes it all look so easy, to the point I picked up my journal and attempted to construct my own poems after reading. And that exercise made me realize just how well constructed a body of work Sweetdark is.
I debated on whether to quote some of the poems in this review, but it wouldn’t be right to read any of it without the full poem before you. Instead, I will list the poems that resonated with me the most.
- The universe may stop expanding in five years
- Too hostile too ticking
- If I’ve ever made something beautiful
- Promise
Verdict
If you love words, metaphors and poems, Sweetdark is a collection you absolutely should check out. I would also recommend Savannah’s YouTube channel where she often publishes original visual poems. Some people were born to form words and sentences, and Savannah is one of those people.
