so-so125 pages of short poetry and prose about self love, motherly love, romantic love, black lives, sadness and depression. Every poem a mantra, Chisala‘s collection feels like a snug hug or the sun shining on my face. It is deeply nourishing for the wounded soul and a gentle reminder that we are magic. The writing is short but the feeling it evokes will last long after you‘ve closed the book.
so-soHonestly not a style of poetry I love all that much, so I couldn‘t give it a pick because of that, but I did think this was a very good book of what some call ‘Instagram poetry‘ but that feels like a bit of a pejorative name. I loved the material on race, on finding your place in the world as a woman of colour, and while being called darling that much got a bit wearing I did on balance enjoy it
pickThis beautiful poetry collection is about self-love, power, depression, relationships, and understanding. Geared toward women and perhaps teens or young adults of color. The words Chisala chooses are as beautiful as the ideas she expresses. I recommend this book for poetry lovers. I suspect readers of color will find themselves seen and heard on these pages, and white readers can see the need for inclusive and “own voices” writing. #NetGalley
" to the men who act like they are the first to ever love a dark girl,
I will say
'I have loved this skin since before you breathed on it'.
pickFantastic. If you read one book of poetry this year, make it this one.
pickChisala writes about love and family and blackness with strength & kindness & breadth. #tbrreadathon
Taking a fiction break from the #tbrreadathon to absorb some poetry!
so-soI read through this delightful collection of poetry today in about an hour. Chisala's desire to connect the outer body with the inner soul through her poetry is evident throughout the collection; however, her poetry seems clunky and awkward at times. When she gets it right, she truly knocks it out of the park, but there is often an underlying youth to her poetry that overpowers the nuanced emotions and complexities she's trying to convey.
Some days our prayers are twice as loud / and thrice as long, / some days they need to be.
soft magic | 
