by Jasmine Harris
2017. 60 pages.
Genre: Poetry
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary (from back cover):
*Hear say- a term frequently used in the African American culture to denote the telling of another’s business for reflective purposes.
Educator and published poet, Jasmine Harris, masters the art of devotional emoting through her collection of poetic reflections, I May Have Been in My Feelings. The book details thoughts from conversations and hear say* regaurdingmodern issues and taboos. Poems range from topics of identity, rape culture, relationships, death, family, and more. So grab a cup of tea and your bff to sip, cry, and laugh as you read and relate.
Harris began writing during her adolescence as a means to promote mental health. With the release of her 1st book, I May Have Been in My Feelings, she hopes to inspire and encourage the importance of self care.
To stay updated on her next release and current events, visit crownpressbooks.squarespace.com or email crownpressbooks@gmail.com
My Thoughts:
I feel bad because the author contacted me about a year ago to ask me for an honest review, and I am just now getting around to it. She caught me just as I was getting ready to relocate and it took me way too long to get back into the groove of things once I semi-settled-in. I did not forget about her however, and managed to get my head clear enough to start pursuing my passion of reading again.
I May Have Been in My Feelings is divided into four sections: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The first poem caught my interest immediately, with its powerful metaphorical imagery, spoken simplistically, yet fueled with the colors of emotion that paint a clear picture of how reflecting on memories can make us feel. Harris gives this opening poem the perfect title: Feeling Words.
The poems that follow are just as colorful. Each poem guides you through a vast pallet of emotions and flows as naturally as a stream. One poem in particular I enjoyed was Mornings Be Like…, where the writer is laying out all the necessary ingredients so that she can start her day. Each morning calls for the same recipe, which represents the day-to-day routine that so many of us follow without looking too deeply into it.
I found surprisingly found enjoyment in a few of the titles as well, such as Tomorrow (the medicine of today). I love that title, and while the poem itself was great, I often found myself going back to that title and considering it throughout the cycle of my day. There were so many little treasures within these poems that stood out like that for me, the first few lines of Brown Girl Love being one of them:
Sometimes we settle for living in misery because we’re afraid of
change, of things crumbling to ruins
But ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation.
Overall, I believe that Jasmine Harris is quite a talented writer! I would love to see her publish more books! It makes me sad that this book seems to be known to so few. I would encourage all of my fellow poetry lovers to give this book a try! It is not a waste of time! Trust me!
A Favorite Poem:
Feeling Words
She
blank as the pages of the journal to a heart dried in the sun
a youthful raisin
Refusing to write
A flight
Thoroughly reflecting
Tenderizing the rightness of wrongs
starting a process of reflection
Remembering images once systemically forgotten
Soaking them with lighter fluid
Putting flames to the neuroconnections
Only truly forgetting to light the flame
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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