HIP POETRY READ
death by the poetry of kindness
By Pete Donohue
Holy&intoxicated Publications
Signed limited edition (25) chapbook, £5, €5, $5
REVIEW BY CLAIRE RICHARDSON
How do you review poetry? Like many art forms it is subjective, emotionally driven. What you feel when you read isn’t necessarily what the author intended when they wrote it. But somehow, that’s almost the point – no two people will ever read the same piece of poetry the same.
When I was invited to review Pete Donohue’s latest collection death by the poetry of kindness published by (Hastings-based) Holy&intoxicated Publications, I’ll admit to a bout of nervousness at sharing my thoughts on another person’s creativity with an audience. I have my own collection of Pete’s previous poetry chapbooks and am honoured to have featured him in my own publications. To me, his poetry ‘just makes sense, just feels right’ in that I always finish each piece of writing with a sense of having digested something unique that also summons my own memories, feelings and ponderings.
LINE AFTER BEAUTIFUL LINE
Pete’s writing is accessible, relatable, thought provoking and more importantly, hugely enjoyable. You go back to it, burn certain lines into your brain, watch the imagery of his words on your own internal TV screen. This newest publication is a collection of twelve poems, exploring themes such as the author’s childhood in Ireland and London. Rose tinted memories and nightmares of the things we sometimes choose to forget, the daily minutiae from a child’s view, the stories that hang around and shape our lives in the future.
The poem ‘harmless enough’ features line after beautiful line of a lonesome child exploring his boundaries, in a harbour town beholding a playground of derelict houses. His solitude is interrupted by the discovery of a transient manbeast in one of the shady structures, “i must have disturbed him, from some kind of sad contentment”. I highlighted that line, let it sit with me for a while.
Going back over each poem I felt this line drift within all of them. In ‘mulligan stew’ Pete draws you into a tale of community, kinship for the down-and-outs inhabiting the pages they live upon, coming alive from the printed words. Indeed a sad contentment, I enjoyed it immensely with romantic whimsy and again, that pleasure derived from witnessing, focusing on the forgotten people, the misplaced memories.
RELATABLE TALES THAT APPEAR BRAND NEW
There is a thread of kindness running through each piece in this collection. A sentiment that can be divisive in its intentions but offered nonetheless. Pete tells tales of burgeoning friendships and splintered codependent relationships, stories of intoxication either by our own hands or the hand that life has dealt us. His opening poem ‘we all cling to the last thing that showed us kindness’ is a strong summation before the reader has even begun to delve inside the pages. Pete makes it easy to dig deep into his narrative and ultimately our own.
I enjoyed every page in death by the poetry of kindness, maybe that alone is a good enough review, but definitely not a worthy one. Pete has the ability to draw you into relatable tales that appear brand new. Stories that your gut feels you already know, from forgotten years ago. It is always a pleasure to take the ride with him. If you’re a new passenger or a returning one, you won’t be disappointed.
• There are a few copies of death by the poetry of kindness still available that have been reserved for HIP readers. To buy one, contact Pete on the [email protected] email.
• Claire Richardson runs her poetry press ClairObscur Zine from her home in Yorkshire, UK, where she has produced her own work, plus edited and printed chapbooks for other writers. She has been published twice by Between Shadows Press & has appeared in collaborative journals with Laughing Ronin Press, Hickathrift Press and Two Key Customs. You can find her on Instagram – @so_she_smokes and Big Cartel – clairobscurzine.bigcartel.com
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