Of the stars, dark and the in-between

You fall in love and you fall out of it and sometimes, it leads you down a dark path. 'The Dark Between Stars' is a collection of poems that describe these intense emotions and tender moments that spread over the span of a relationship.

The book is primarily divided into three parts. 'The Stars', 'The In-Between' and 'The Dark', which depict three distinct stages of romance, probably from the author's personal life. In my humble opinion, the final instalment, 'The Dark' is capable of impacting people the most. It not only speaks of despair from nostalgia but exudes hope and courage. A few phrases compel you to believe in a better tomorrow, to hold on and to be patient. It might be just the thing one wants to hear when they are at their lowest and are on the verge of giving it all up. For example, lines like "The bravest thing she did was to stay alive each day", or "You are enough, a thousand times enough", and "Life is the art of failing magnificently", definitely seem encouraging.

That being said, the book does have its clichéd moments, mainly in the beginning. Lines like "To the poet, every curve of her was a well-placed word" and "I've always loved lavender, it's purple in all the right places" are a bit cringe-worthy. Some of it also does not seem too original. "You weren't given wings to see the world from a tree" or "You are all the best parts about the rain" just feel too familiar.

On the whole, it was a good journey and worth a good 3.5 stars on a scale of 5. The poetry is generic and raw but deep, intuitive, poignant and most relatable. What is brilliant about this edition is the illustration, that instantly sets the mood. One of the challenges poets are faced with is to make their random musings resonate with the reader. Atticus, the anonymous Canadian poet that rose to fame on social platforms like Instagram and Tumblr has managed to do just that.