Time Is a Mother

Smart, soulful, lyrical, accessible, so satisfying at so many different levels. I want to learn to write prose poetry so I can use it in my art work. While I am unlikely to write up to its level, this book has certainly shown me how it is done

Ocean Vuong's "Time Is a Mother" navigates the depths of grief with lyrical grace, echoing lines like "How else do we return to ourselves but to fold / The page so it points to the good part." Through these intimate verses, Vuong captures the essence of mourning while celebrating resilience and the enduring bonds of family. This collection is a profound exploration of life's complexities, where every poem resonates with emotional truth and poetic ingenuity.

Some imagery was breathtaking but the whole of each work was hard to read with broken lines and little punctuation. It was difficult to follow and required too much work to access. Reread several times, the poems did give up some overall arc but there was little to draw my attention at first and draw me into the greater depths. I want that little glimpse of understanding right at the first that leaves me wanting more.

When I read it silently, I detested it. Reread aloud, the poems show the way. They work like a musical score - the voice interprets, as does a musical instrument. You discover levels of of hemidemisemiquavering emotion/cultural critique/philosophy. Jazz riff cadenza -- alchemical.

book came damaged and with stains on back. could have been avoided

Love the writing. Beautiful prose! I've watched a lot of his interviews and he's obviously a beautiful human too!

I was blown away again and again by Ocean Vuong's conjunction of images and the gorgeous freedom of his language, free yet beautifully controlled, the purity of feeling on the page. But nothing, nothing is like his final poem in this book called Dear Rose, an ode to his mother. I read it early one morning sitting alone and feeling, well, objective, appreciative of beauty I wanted to understand...and found myself sobbing. It was like music that creeps up from behind, that works on your soul before you even know, awakens history hidden in your cells. To quote Mohsin Hamid, we are all migrants through time. I will not forget this.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. My 2nd book by him and he never fails to write inspiring words