Unrealistic Dreams by Yool Wie

Publication Date: June 11, 2018.

Publisher: Clavis & Somnium.

Genres: Poetry.

Rating: 

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Synopsis: For you, the reader. I hope this book will give you hope: the fuel to carry on. I root for you.

From within the darkness,
you gazed at the stars above.
Mesmerized by their beautiful light,
you thought you were in the sky, too.
Wake up!
Someone smacked the back of your head.
Stop looking at the stars!
Return to darkness.

Why? You wondered.
Because stars are unrealistic.

Thank you to the author, Yool Wie, for my gifted copy of Unrealistic Dreams. I received this review copy in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion.

The poetry collection Unrealistic Dreams by Yool Wie starts with a promise in its very first poem. This is a very bold move. A promise, like the following made by the author, ensures that there are expectations and these expectations have to be fulfilled when the reading experience is over with.

As to me, I do not wish a great thing:

Whoever you are,
whatever you do,
wherever you are,
I wish to touch your heart
and heal it.

That’s it.

For me, this book did manage to fulfill the promise made in the quote taken from ‘Words’ — the first poem in the collection. In Unrealistic Dreams, most of the poems make you grow and reflect on yourself; the words touched me in a way that made me feel safe and accepted. I will definitely reread several poems from this one, especially since they are so powerful in their execution. The poems provide you either with a lesson, a reflection, or an assertion that you are or will be okay and that you matter. The effect is that the reader becomes content and that is rare — not all modern poetry collections manage to have this emotional impact. That emotional impact together with the vivid imagery makes this book one that needs to be on readers radars, especially those fond of self-empowering novels and modern poetry.

We may be the torch
for those wandering in darkness
not having found their mountains.

So if your heart agrees with me,
proclaim: I am worthy.

This is not a feel-good pep talk
but the truth.

You are worthy.

After having read quite a few modern poetry collections, it definitely takes a lot more to make a lasting impression on me. Because of that, this collection surprised me. Unrealistic Dreams is much more than just a collection of poems you might or might not relate to. In every single poem, the reader is directly involved as an active part of the book and the dialogue. Thus, the book becomes much more impactful than a poetry collection in which the reader is just a passive bystander. The only criticism I have is that at times I did not fully agree with the message a few of the poems conveyed. For example, sometimes the poems made certain issues seem less complex than they are in reality but overall that might have more to do with my personal opinion and experience than the book itself.

Unrealistic Dreams lifts its readers up and I know many fans of modern poetry will enjoy this collection. It deals with sadness and tough situations in a great way and will make readers see that there is light and hope to be found. I really recommend this book!