Space struck is a debut collection of poetry from Paige Lewis, and also my first time reading an entire book of poetry.
I just read Space Struck in its entirety one last time, this is my 3rd time. I listened to the audiobook while reading the book in tandem, and omg it was so immersive. I honestly would be content to read this book over and over again for months, it’s just so good. And I’m not going to fully “finish” it, Space Struck gives me something I need so dearly and I will revisit many of these poems over and over again until I understand them as I understand my own heart beat. So it’s not goodbye, not really. Just time to move on.
This was the first collection of poetry I’ve ever read and I’m, well, space struck. It was gorgeous. Paige’s use of language is just incredible, it’s so seemingly simple and minimalistic and yet their imagery is extremely inventive and they manage to say so so much. These poems really really struck my soul. Every one just means so damn much to me, I’ve let this book become a part of my heart for the past week and I’m so incredibly glad I did.
Another thing that was really cool was the formatting. Most of the poems have a specific shape to each stanza that they adhere to throughout the poem, and I just find that so interesting. It really redirects the flow of the reading, and also gives it such a cool sense of structure.
The heart. The love. The meaning and the depth. Every one of these works I felt so deeply, and I feel like I’ve come out of reading this book with more of myself than when I went into it. I bathed in Paige’s words, I let them infiltrate my mind and unpack their suitcase. Several poems inspired my own work, and the narrative voice really deepened my own, I think.
It’s rather crazy just how personal this poetry is to me. I wouldn’t feel the same way sharing a paragraph from my favorite book as I do sharing a poem from this. They resonated with me so deeply and changed me and I feel so…not different—I feel so much more. I never knew words could have this much power.
I’m so so happy I read this. It was my first book of poetry, but it will most certainly not be the last I read. Poetry is going to become a part of my life now, I can’t believe it hasn’t been for so long.
by Sausage_fingies