Amani Eley’s Poem #2 Reviewed by Logan Freeman

I really love how the poem uses alliteration to make the sound of the word love. I also love that the title of the poem makes this connection for us. The images he associates with love also give this sort of personification to it. I like the simplicity of the poem, yet the fact that in that simplicity you can still get a feel for what the poet is expressing and it evokes images and sounds that puts the reader in the mindset of love. I like the image of love literally filling in a gap that we once had. Some other good images include the lighting of life through a lamplight, which is love, lips moving, and launching towards the sky where the light is bright. I can picture in my head someone with a jetpack or on a hot air balloon slowly rising higher in the atmosphere where the light shines over a mountain that was once blocking the sun. Love literally helps us see better, clearer, and nourishes us (more specifically our soul or mind) similar to the sun.

If there is anything I would add to this poem it would be to make it longer and include a sort of before and after component, maybe before love and how it looks different in more detail. You do address the light and filling of the empty spaces in life and the losing of fatigue, but you could also introduce some contrasts that emphasize the importance of love a little more. I love the alliteration though, and if you were to make it longer it might make the alliteration a little too complex and take away from the beautiful simplicity of the poem. Overall, I enjoyed reading this poem and could tell it was thoughtfully put together. Great work!