Poetry is a fascinating beast. It is wild. It is untamable. It requires submission as much as bold confrontation. The same can be said for life and what it means to be alive. The only difference is between those who find the words to catch the beast and those who can’t. Jacquelyn Mello finds the perfect words, rhythm and cadence, flow, and tone to catch the wild beast if only for that typically ineffable, elusive, ever-fleeting moment. Appropriately, she titles her collection of wild snippets — Alive. One cannot understate the difficulty of attaining such perfection. It demands a life fully lived, deeply felt, and unflinchingly observed. Then, one must find the words.
“Can you forgive yourself?
For not being good enough?
For not doing more?
Not knowing more?
Loving more?
For the choices you made out of fear?
Can you forgive yourself for being here?”
The best poems make you gasp at the impact of their final lines. It’s so vital, it’s almost a secret. Jacquelyn Mello’s poems may intrigue, soothe, caution, lull, or present any myriad enticements, incitements, or excitements — but their final lines will almost always make you gasp with understanding, self-awareness, and maybe shame. For sure, they will not leave you feeling nothing. If there is a thread or theme throughout this stunningly beautiful book of poems, it is one that evokes your greatest sense of what it means to be — Alive. To this end, Ms. Mello gets the final lines:
“Don’t listen to anything
but your heart.
Don’t let them tame you.”
And this encore gem of living wisdom:
“I would rather wake to a life of full potential
than to sleep in a bed of known tomorrows.”
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