The Bones Below: Poems by Sierra Demulder

"Call her name backwards, forwardsWave your arms like your chest is a runwayShe is the plane you are crashing."The Bones Below is that unique combination of desperation and optimism that is often lacking in contemporary poetry. While DeMulder's cohorts are lambasted for being self-indulgent and unfocused, DeMulder can deftly balance her anger with wit, her melancholy with wordplay, and her sincerity with nothing.O, Economy (Part 1) is a poem that reads simply:"Today, I plan on stealing from the grocery storeand washing my laundry by hand in the bathtub."She can be biting and self-consciously childish with her open letter "To the Woman Hitting on My Boyfriend" which promises,"Now, I'm a feminist so I avoidusing the B-word in the spirit of sisterhoodBut sister, just because I'm a feministdoesn't mean I won't cut a bitch."But poems like "Cycle of Abuse," "Talking to God" and "Sawdust" are raw, lyrical, explanations of events that don't bestow much blame but just deal with reality in the aftermath. There's not an ounce of pettiness. And Sierra knows how to write the s*** out of a love poem. "When the Apocalypse Comes," is an avowal of love that would make anyone blush:"I will crawl to you across the curdling parking lot of a citylick your body new again like my tongueis God's hand trying to erase and recreate the earth."There's no way to get through this book without gasping in recognition. In the way that everyone makes jokes about their pain, about their loneliness, about their self-doubt, DeMulder makes them and knows that it's an avoidance. Her self-protective laughter is something she's in on and she embraces it. The poems that drop that facade are all the more beautiful for that acknowledgment.Read this book. It feels just like Sierra' "Ode to Carbonation":"you taste like what I imagineswallowing radio wiresfeels like: all sparks and popmusic in my throat."

DeMulder presents a consistent profile through much of her poetry: a once-broken woman froma lower middle class background. I don't say "once-broken" to imply that she is necessarilywhole again or somehow healed. Rather, the brokenness occurred long ago, and it is apparentthat hers is a voice that has come to terms with it, accepted it as a part of her. It's made a homeright alongside her hopefulness that causes poems like "Misplacing Their Ring Fingers" and"For My Exes" to [insert physical euphemism for inducing emotional responses here].When DeMulder isn't tugging at your heart (see, it was better when I just left the brackets), she'sinciting anger and shredding ideas of patriarchy that have been embedded into American culture.Exploring motherhood and love through "Mrs. Dahmer" shows her ability to move beyond thepersonal narrative that oscillates through her other poems.The Bones Below is the kind of first book that may very well terrify young poets, bristling witha well-articulated sincerity that the millennial generation has shown they are eager to pay apremium for.

I first came across this poet and her videos of her spoken word. I was blown away by her delivery when they were spoken aloud. I was quite pleased when I discovered that she had a couple of books published and readily available here on amazon. Reading her work in written form is just as breathtaking.It has been inspirational for me to find a poet that I truly respect so I can continue to pique my interest in my own poetry and grow. Before finding Sierra, I was most attracted to the works of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. I anticipate spending a whole lot more time with Sierra's works than I had with some of the greats. If you are a fan of either of those artists or just love good poetry, I would highly recommend picking up both of her books (New Shoes On a Dead Horse and The Bones Below). You will not be disappointed. I truly believe that anyone can find something to appreciate in her works.

If you have to give up fast food or coffee for a week to afford this book, do it. Sierra DeMulder's poetry will keep you full for much longer.Stunning.Sierra has a way of rounding up every heartache, triumph, doubt, worry, fear, etc that races around your heart each day and night and neatly pins them to each page. What you're left with is a mirror that reflects you more precisely than any shiny glass ever could.Don't be surprised if you end up buying more of her books and other books from this publisher (as they have many great writers). Or if you stay up all night watching videos of her performing her pieces to live audiences. It's a rare experience to feel understood. It's even rarer to be able to own that experience in a neatly bound little book. :)

When you talk with people about poetry, they tend to say it is dead and buried. That it's an art of the past, all this verse and stuff. Besides, it's boring, and there is no story. Twilight, on the other hand... Well, that's something, right?This book is how you answer these people. It's amazing modern poetry that resonates with what we're all living today. Demulder is not afraid of getting personal, but even then her words will not be lost on you. If you're planning to buy 'The Bones Below', you probably have watched her spoken word poetry on the Internet. Then you should know this book has a value of its own and certainly does not fall short of her performances.Anyway, it's amazing and sticks with you a long way down the road. It's so soothing you don't even resent the few typos (and I'm the kind of guy who resents typos). It's so chilling it makes you want to write. Oh, and it's also a beautiful object! So: Buy. It. Now.

DeMulder has become one of my favourite poets after reading this fantastic collection and her collection Today Means Amen. The Bones Below is a striking collection of contemporary poems. I loved it. This collection contains poems that I love the most, emotional, deep, intense poems about human frailty and emotions. Thankfully, there are no poems about trees or meadows or baby lambs to be seen. The subject matter of The Bones Below is diverse and includes everything from ex’s, a shooting and the mother of Jeffrey Dahmer. Some of my favourites include During the Month It Took You to Leave Me, I Crashed Your Car, Mrs Dahmer, Static and To the Woman Hitting on My Boyfriend. My favourite lines come from To the Woman Hitting on My Boyfriend:Ask me, what light throughYonder window breaks?It will be your f****** face.

Amazon can you please fix the kindle book format!

It was ok

Sierra is very talented and finds a way to give you goosebumps with every poem. Do yourself a favor and read this.

Beautiful writing, thoughtful topics, a lot of truth and a lot of hard hitting honesty.