Review: Erin Wilson

Review: Erin Wilson
Prematurely Picked & The Night Life

The Night Life describes the liberation that comes from anonymity (on vacation), from being placed in another context (Barbados) and emboldened by some liquid courage (golden rum).These three circumstances occurred simultaneously and created an opportunity that lead to self discovery (“I know that nothing lasts forever. Although I learned, That having a little fun, Would make things That were not so beautiful, At the very least, Seem that way.”) This poem also has some nice phrasing and imagery that speak to the dichotomies that lie within us, (“I am kinetic and full of potential/I am once again, Just the plump, White girl”). I liked the line, “My heels digging into the earth…Stay in this escaped moment forever.” I also liked, “And said, Thank you and Goodnight” as if everything in between was just a blur. I would suggest losing the quotation marks around the word Really in the last verse. Maybe you could show the frustration of that expectation by using words rather than punctuation to make your point.

Prematurely Picked speaks to the fact that externals and internals are often in opposition to each other, (“My colors misrepresent me/ Internally defiant”) A hibiscus is a brightly colored, tropical flower that requires certain unique conditions for it to reach its full potential. The unfulfilled promise of the hibiscus (woman) in this poem is obvious, (“…never Completely bloomed.”) I think the reason for this is made clear by the title of the poem, but I would like to know more about the circumstances that lead to being prematurely picked.