Description
CLICHÉS: A Life In Verse is a collection of poetry chronicling the various cycles of life. This collection spans childhood sexual abuse and its ramifications in early adulthood. It explores the desire to love while rejecting everything once thought to be love. It’s a story of awakening, walking away and learning to build anew. It’s a raw expression of grief, rage, and sexual angst. Every poem flows with nuances of self-exploration and discovery. Though ordered as stages of growth, faith and hope are consistent chords throughout, holding life together.
This collection may be helpful to survivors of abuse.
- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Jazzy Media LLC; First edition (June 1, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0977617963
- ISBN-13: 978-0977617968
LaShawnda Jones –
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
5.0 out of 5 stars Transitioning To Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2009
The clear reflection of childhood pain and abuse is sometimes difficult to swallow, the ugliness of the act leaving a bitter imprint on both the conveyor and receiver of the memory. In CLICHÉ: A Life in Verse, poet La’Shawnda D. Jones grapples with surviving the most brutal violation of trust and the devastating residue that speaking out left on her life and her family.
Her truth is one that needs to be conveyed, shared in her breathtakingly honest prose and direct reflection. The hurt and the pain is genuinely felt through each poetic scribe. The beauty of her writing is its authentic delivery, she possesses the rare ability to reveal her emotion without feeling forced or contrived.
But, just like a butterfly, La’Shawnda does not remain in a victimized cocoon and she certainly does not wallow in the pain for long. And that is what makes this collection one worth reading. She pushes forward and expands her wings, loving despite love’s pain and living despite life’s traps.
Every poem in this collection is a worthy read. Noted favorites were “Hitch on to My Star, Baby!”, “The Rapists Wife”, “Words Part One and Part Two” and “Girl Next Door”. And, just like a crescendo that brings down the house, La’Shawnda flexes poetic genius in her final poem “Revelations”. This collection is a pure expression of transition from pain and uncertainty, to declaration and belief.
Reviewed by a. Kai
for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers