I mean, just not for me, I guess? A lot of cleverness and skill, but a lot of it comes off as a trick, an angle. Maybe I'm too old? The repetition within the poems and then the use of repetition in almost every poem gets to be too much. But there are some good phrases, good lines, etc. ( )

This poetry is so different that it almost seems like it is from another planet, a deliciously bizarre and sexual one. Patricia Lockwood’s most recognized and powerful poem has got to be “Rape Joke,” which became a viral sensation. Most of her poetry has a sexual element and is rarely subtle, it’s out there and often very funny. That all becomes obvious when you read the titles of some of her poems: “Search ‘Lizard Vagina’ and You Shall Find,” “The Whole World Gets Together and Gangbangs a Deer” (Bambi is mentioned), “The Father and Mother of American Tit-Pics,” and “List of Cross-Dressing Soldiers.”

Allow me to quote something from The Rumpus, “Lockwood writes strange, brilliant, fantastic poems. One of the foremost poets of our generation.” Fantasy takes her poetry all over the map and shows how inventive and weird she can be.

When the book was released in 2014, it was selected as a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Flavorwire, BuzzFeed and The Strand, Powell’s, and Barnes & Noble. Another review said that, “This book is serious and funny at the same time, like a big grave with a clown lying in it.” Which is so very apt, as it uses an outstanding image, one that sticks in your gray matter, just like many of Lockwood’s poems.

I’m choosing to not describe her poetry in much detail, as I feel her poems are best experienced up close and personal, and not yammered on about by a newt like me. Myself, I was hooked on the first page. To be honest, I wasn’t sure exactly “what” it was that I was hooked on, but her poetry is so unique that I was driven to see where it was going. If you have any interest, find some of her poetry and let it reach into your brain. ( )

Incredible modern poetry. Next to my bed to read a few of my favorites to send me into a reverie before sleep. ( )

I wish I admired Lockwood's collection, I really do. There are some poems that come close to successful, and one ("The Rape Joke") which really hits home. Too many poems seem please with little dirty jokes or attempts at humor. "List of Cross-Dressing Soldiers" "The Fake Tears of Shirley Temple" and "The Descent of the Dunk" all come close. Too often I feel that what strives to be free and experimental is just undisciplined and needing rewriting.

The main conceit that nations and landscapes are treated as if human bodies and beings, and vice verse, just doesn't work here for me.

Perhaps it is just me. But I really wanted to admire this collection. But as Lockwood might write, "Naaaaaaah." ( )

This poetry collection is 1/4 heartrending powerhouse and 3/4 bonkers hilariousness. There are poems about sexual assault and patriarchal culture intermixed between poems about deer doing pornos, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman tit-pics, a sports mascot experiencing ecstasy with the cheerleading squad, and Niagra Falls getting drunk at a wedding. Some of the imagery was difficult for me to follow, which is the case with many of the poetry collections I read, but I absolutely loved this book. Funny, raw, and beautifully written. ( )