Poetry from RB Simon

 This review originally appeared at Wisconsin Writers Association.

The Good Truth by RB Simon, Madison

Poetry, 40 pp

July 2, 2021, Finishing Line Press, KY

Paperback, $18.80

Buy on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Good-Truth-R-B-Simon/dp/1646625382/

About the Book:

In her debut collection, poet R.B. Simon paints a compelling canvas of identity one poem at a time. With evocative, lyrical language, these poems of loss, identity, and ultimately recovery, show that the complex fabric of our lives often weaves together something more beautiful than we could foresee. The Good Truth offers an accessible and poignant look at the forging of a woman through hardship and alienation, and her quiet, forceful return to the home of herself. The Good Truth is that each one of can join her on the journey.

 

My Review:

Simon’s opening biographical poem “Heritage” sets the table for the reader. With its starkness of the opening line and lyricism of internal time and space as its own dimension, we are drawn deeply into our own childhood angst, sharing our trauma with the poet, no matter who we are or how we existed. Any author of any genre who can pull us into her world is an artist. Simon’s art exposes the grit, love, and wonder of who and why she is, and begs us, her readers, to do the same.

 

“who are you, little i?” spoke to me through the questions of “who are you” from those outside, to the poignant self-wonderment of “who can you become?” Everyone who has hidden under the blanket or in a closet with a flashlight and read till your eyes bled knows how to escape into anyone else’s world but your own.

 

The 23 poems of The Good Truth are written in prose style, some speak in syncopation and several undulate across the page as they weave tales of discovery, humiliation, joy, resignation, despair, and acceptance. Phrases like “stacked facial muscles into a good morning” from “anything to keep you happy” and “the sound of infinity” from “Retreat” make me sigh in contemplation and revelation. The poem “Indelible” makes me want to make sure my loved ones are safe especially from themselves so that I will never have to feel like a “posthumous voyeur.”

 

Poetry is an intimate revelation, and Simon carefully peels back layers of the soul to share flashes of her world. Just the right size to breathe in a few poems at a time and contemplate. Lovingly laid out and finely written. Recommended for poetry aficionados.

 

About the Author:

R.B. Simon is a queer artist and writer of African and European-American descent. She endeavors to create poetry centered in the mosaic of identity, the experiences that make us who we are in totality. Having battled mental health issues, substance use disorder, and trauma throughout her life, she is now in recovery and studying to become an Art Therapist, supporting others on the same journey. She has been published in multiple print and online journals including The Green Light Literary Journal, Blue Literary Journal, Electric Moon, and Literary Mama. The Good Truth is her first book. Ms. Simon is currently living in Madison, WI with her partner, daughter, and four unruly little dogs. Website.