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Writer's pictureAlexandra Antipa

[Book Review] 01110011, [Author] Koiko Tsuuda




A beautiful collection of poetry, described by the author as “a tale of soul searching”. The poems included in this collection take the reader on an emotional journey, approaching relatable themes, such as anxiety, feeling alone, and the impossibility of voicing emotions. At times, it gets dark, reminding readers of the demons that can threaten our existence.


My thoughts:


For me, poetry is one of the best ways to express what lies in our hearts, uncomfortable emotions in particular. The poems belonging to this collection were filled with such emotions, and I loved the simple but revealing writing style. I would go as far as to assume that the author is a realistic, using poetry to express what lies deep inside. Many of the poems included here reveal difficult moments and the mental anguish resulting from them. The raw honesty does not deter one from reading, on the contrary it makes the whole experience even more worthwhile.


Whenever I come across a new author, I try to avoid reading previous reviews or even the blurb. With poetry, this is even more important, as I do not want my personal opinion to be influenced in any way. This collection was perfect in my opinion, and I congratulated myself for starting out with a clean slate. I read each poem in silence and, as it usually happens with poetry, I was able to “borrow” the author’s emotional states. Coming to an end, I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend, wishing him that better days would lie ahead.


Here are some of the verses that left an impression:


Happy ever after/is not meant/for everyone

Trapped, nothing feels real

I’m always longing/to go back to somewhere

There’s someone else/inside of me/I can hear him suffering/I can see him hurting

It’s when I lie awake/thinking about my life/how everything is against me

I might become/what used to terrify me/all these years ago

I’m standing on the edge of the world/on the edge of life/wondering/how long it would take me to fall

I try to blend in/but I’m not like them/no/not even close

I’ve learned that silence/can be deafening/I guess that’s why people/spend their whole lives/trying to avoid it

But the worst thing/about this whole story is/that I can have all of this/inside of me/but to you/it’s just a sad poem/with nothing to say


Verdict:


This was an excellent read. Even though the poems are not written from an optimistic point of view, they deliver a beautiful reading experience. They are filled with sadness, uncertainty, and anxiety, but these are all things we experience in our lives. The raw honesty is probably one of the best things about this poetry collection, with the author stepping out from behind the curtain to deliver a journey of an anguished soul on the written page.


Grab your copy of the book from here!


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