Book Review: Lord of the butterflies by Andrea Gibson
Written by Benidamika
When you write, it either comes from the deepest depths of your soul or you write because you imagine. Both are amazing ways to write. Andrea Gibson writes what they have lived. Their words come from a burning heart but also, it is a burst of soft love. There is a terrible honesty in these pages and to read this collection, one must put down their rose colored glasses.
“Lord of the Butterflies” by Andrea Gibson is a collection of poems on love, loss, family, politics, mental health, gender and identity. It encompasses and articulates what we humans live and would even die for. It was published in 2018 and was dedicated to their sister.
Gibson’s poetry is known for how personal it gets and this collection is no different. Their mark in the contemporary poetry scene would be felt undeniably, by anyone who picks this book. The tone is raw and the metaphors hit you right on the face or the heart. It strongly reeks of ‘I will not apologize for who I am and who I’m becoming’. But it is not as self-centered as I made it sound, it contains poems that speak of the injustices the LGBT+ community faces, the unending gun violence and the dark underbelly of America.
Gibson’s poems on gender and identity are big on self-love and acceptance. This collection is a welcoming embrace to the community. The first poem, “Your Life” symbolizes the green in a traffic light, a blaring “GO AHEAD” - Gibson is telling everyone to live their lives however they want to and expresses the freedom that they can be whoever they want to be. They are the living proof of an individual defying society’s limitations and winning.
Gibson’s sister makes appearances in the poems too. These poems are poignant and moving, shining a light on the bond between sisters, giving you a front row seat to the bitter pills of actions and their consequences. These poems are an act of amelioration, an act of salvation because the rest of the world is either too blind or it refuses to see any traces of the innocence that remains.
The poems on the brutality faced by the LGBT+ community felt like an angry, throbbing vein. The vivid imagery of the poem “Orlando'' sent a deep shock and grief that stilled me. It is unimaginable to die terrorized while listening to your favorite song, it is unimaginable to die because of who you choose to love. History is being written in these pages and it is good to know that we are reading the right side of it.
Mental health has a loud place in this collection. Gibson shows how truly human they are by refusing to censure the lows in life and writing them for everyone to read in the simplest of words in “Ode To The Public Panic Attack”. Love and sickness marry in their poems. These are the softest and endearing pieces throughout the collection.
Gibson delights in being alive, and celebrates the existence of a physical body in “Tincture”. All the imperfections, the fight to survive and the will to live are summed up in three stunning lines, “I can’t imagine it, the stars say. Tell us again about goosebumps. Tell us again about pain.”
Poems like “Thankstaking” attempts at correcting historical events. It is an attempt to educate oneself and to politically correct past prejudices. It is a cry to never live by the quote “Ignorance is bliss”. The political poems pull off the pretty veil disguising America as an oasis . It presents images of war-torn families, police violence, school and mass shootings, the forgotten indigenous settlers and Trump’s reign. It is an exhibition of the ugly truth.
Throughout the pages, one theme kept popping up- the loss of innocence. Every individual in this collection has lost a little part of themselves - whether it is their sense of wonder or their blind belief. Exposure to the world’s cruelty has ruined even the simplest of joys like enjoying a fruit.
Because of Gibson’s command over the poetic language, their poems ALWAYS shine a torch on the crevices of the subjects they choose to write and speak on.
BENIDAMIKA considers herself to be one of the Romantics. She was longlisted for the Wingword Poetry Competition 2018 and has been published in multiple Train River Poetry anthologies. She has a Master's in English Literature and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Psychology and Counselling.