#frank watson

Rating: ★★★

In the Dark, Soft Earth starts strong, the first book in this poetry collection is absolutely captivating. My favorite section in this book thematically, as it uses nature to create beautiful imagery. Watson is able to use nature to his advantage when it comes to painting a picture in your mind. Book two and three introduce the “she” that is in Watson’s thoughts. She feels like someone slipping through fingers, a mystery, wearing a mask for everyone to see. The poetry collection is written mostly in all lower-case letters with minimal punctuation, which creates a feeling of continuity.

Book four is where it all begins to slip away from me. Book four abandons the nature that has been present up until now and instead uses jazz and music, but feels more like an interlude than anything. The next few books return to nature and elements, and we arrive at the title poem: In the Dark, Soft Earth. This poem feels like a perfect ending, a “rest at last” to close with. Except this isn’t the end. Instead we’re met with a book of poetry that is based on tarot cards, which I found to be ill-fitted with the rest of this poetry collection. This section feels less full of feeling and more forced to be picturesque. Book nine was a few short poems that didn’t feel cohesive or necessary, and ten was alright but not nearly as dazzling as the beginning of this book.

With all of that being said, I still think Frank Watson is a good writer. The first three sections dazzled me and I adored his writing style. Some of the poems and lines were fantastic and will stay with me. Aside from the books that didn’t feel like they fit ruining some of the original continuity, his poetry was well-written. If some of the work was cut out this would’ve been at least been a four, if not a five, star book for me.

Thank you to Frank Watson, Plum White Press, and Edelweiss for giving me this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

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Saylor Rains

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