The Potential To Be Great

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Element of Freedom
Received 3 out of 5 Stars

Review:
O'nika Barnette's book, Element of freedom, has the potential to be great. In the book, she wrote about things that could inspire others, such as: Not being a victim anymore, being strong and motherly like a black queen, and rising above all the chaos and "ashes." These were relatable topics, especially the topic regarding rising above everything. Something I had hoped for in reading the book was what I call the art of pulling people emotionally into the poems. I wanted to feel like I was a black queen, exerting my motherly instincts to protect my kingdom in every possible way; I wanted to rise above the ashes as if "I Rise" was a modern day rendition of Maya Angelou's poem "Still I rise" with a James Weldon Johnson "Lift every voice and sing" feel to it; I also wanted to show my transition of not being a victim anymore.

O'Nika did show an ability to make comparisons or relate objects to each other; however her message would have been more heartfelt if she had created an emotional connection to the readers and her words were arranged in a way that would also create the same connection.

I look forward in reading other works by O'nika and seeing her transition as a poet.

A Taste of Chicago that Ignites the Spirit

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Shadows and Silhouettes

Received 5 out of 5 stars

Review:

Sharday Cage definitely dishes out The Taste of Chicago in her new poetic work called Shadows and Silhouettes. This Chicago resident delivers flavorful pieces that allow the reader to digest every bit of what makes her very passionate and purposeful about her craft. A craft that has truly been perfected to the point that readers can close their eyes and feel her words create poetic imprints on their spirit. These Imprints are in the form of love, challenging relationships, and delightful misfortunes. Her playful use of the word “Beautiful cacophony,” shows her skill in utilizing oxymora to get her point across.

I truly enjoyed many of Sharday’s poems and felt as though I was experiencing her life firsthand. When reading, “Graffiti Mouth,” I thought of something so corrupt or disfigured that no beauty could come from it. It brought to mind people who gossip about other people and graffiti (Slander) their name on the ears of willing cohorts. The poem was upfront, honest, and true to some societal norms. My favorite poem was “Lover’s Cup.” I felt as though I was in Love’s Utopia, waiting to release the most powerful energy in my body; love. I too wanted to “Lasso the moon or pluck a star.” I wanted to sip from my “lover’s cup” and get drunk from my emotional connection to him. The last poem, I really liked was called “Daddy.” Sharday started off the poem by saying, “I was a daddy’s girl without the daddy.” The poem focused on her imagination of a daddy that was so real that she would walk hand-in-hand with him in the park. The poem changed with emotion as her daddy reminded her of a ghost; “he came and went, he was here then gone.”