Time is a Mother— Book Review
Author — Ocean Vuong
“I could not speak so I wrote myself into silence where I stood waiting for you” — Ocean Vuong
Book: Time is a Mother. Date of Publication: 2022. Genre: Poetry. Publisher: Johnathan Cape. Pages: 78
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
The outstanding poet born in Saigon is known for his well-known books, “Time is a mother”(2022) and “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”(2019). Ocean’s riveting style of writing holds much truth and experiences seizes to “divide people and build walls…” or even “turn it into something where we can see each other more clearly, as a bridge.”. Time is mother is transmigration of experiences, smoothly and bravely Ocean’s words travel right above the sea with us between the waves. The author immortalizes tragic events like art set on fire, making it a beautiful masterpiece. Taking the time to bask in this book, it has been a joy drawing inspiration from an author as good as Ocean Vuong.
Snow Theory
…I lay down over her outline,
to keep her true
Together we made an angel
We looked like something being destroyed in a blizzard
I haven’t killed a thing since
This poem lands softly in the beginning pages of this book with a deep sense of meaning found in the words. The author makes references to loss, in particular making references to his mother. A slight reminder that “What we’ll always have is something we lost”. In a space where the poet wonders and everything seems to fall apart around him, the poet holds on to the hope that the one person that he has lost “won’t vanish again”. It all comes to an end when the Voung realizes that he has not “killed a thing since”. Knowing that there was a sense of peace that came with the chaos but amongst all the chaos he found the one thing he lost.
Tell Me Something Good
…told you it is where you will learn
to dance. Snow on your lips like a saltedcut, you leap between your deaths, black as god’s
periods. Your arms cleaving little woundsin the wind. You are something made. Then made
to survive, which means you are somebody’sson. Which means if you open your eyes, you’ll be back
in that house, beneath a blanket printed with yellow sailboats…
This poem is a transition from one place to another but in that journey you are never lost. Voung beautifully captured the nuances of human experience, creating a masterpiece of poetic craft. Ocean explores the life’s tapestry , “the dance”. Ocean expands on this, consumed by desire to be seen, the author wishes his dance would be hailed as a masterpiece, a “two-step to die for”. But in all that he acknowledges the triumphs that come to you as a human, beautifully in these words “you leap between your deaths, black as a god’s periods. Your arms cleaving little wounds in the wind” and with all those struggles “you are something made” further recognizing the purpose in existence.
Dear Rose
if you’re reading this then you survived
my life into this one this one with
my name crossed out then found
halfway in your mouth if you’re reading this
then the bullet does not know you
yet but I know mom you can’t
read napalm fallen on your schoolhouse
at six & that was it they say…
This poem is my favorite because of how it encapsulates the author’s experience with grieving his mother. The imaginary and style of dialogue of the poem invites us, the readers, into a room of grief allowing us to relate to the authors story. This is encompasses a journey of his mother as a immigrant. Ocean addresses the person in question of the grief that he carries, “if you are reading this then you survived”. The author perfectly captures the feeling of numbness in grief in these words, “Kept stopping to touch my shadow just in case feeling is the only truth”
The author’s use of the words “bullets” is versatile, taking on different connotations in various settings. Ocean uses the word “bullets” carefully to create a theme of destruction in the poem. Ocean highlights the power in words spoken and says “like bullets each word must stop somewhere”. Earlier in the poem he acknowledges that if “his mom” is currently reading this then the “bullet doesn’t know us”. Directly addressing the tragic act that has happened. Later in the poem, the author recognizes the true purpose of the “bullet” is “pushing flesh into flesh” through this statement he expresses a desire for the ‘bullet’ to undo the harm it inflicted, including the loss of himself. Furthermore, he associates the ‘bullet’ with a feeling saying that the “bullet makes you real by making you less”, depicting the unfiltered violence and finality of death metaphorically and literally.
Furthermore he refers to his words as “corpses” that he has laid “side by side the page” to tell her that “our present tense was not too late”. He expresses this to emphasize that his words will be read many others forever etched on the page where his mother’s memory is preserved.
Conclusion
Ocean’s writing has been such a enlightening moment for me. Revisiting some the poems in this book made me realize the transformative power of literature and the profound impact of words. What makes Ocean Vuong’s writing one of a kind, is not the words he chooses that fall into the right order but it’s the very fact that Ocean puts his soul into every poem he writes. The three poems included in this review are merely a taste of the rich tapestry this book presents.
It has created a realm where death, grief, celebration of existence and hope can co-exist harmoniously liberated from their usual constraints. It is in this book, where I found pieces of myself hidden in words. This is a read I would recommend time and time again.
