The Living Wound by Shamir Kali Griffin

A stirring collection that feels both ancient and contemporary, The Living Wound: Conquering Hope and Loss (Urban Poetry & Soul Book 4) by Shamir Kali Griffin is a testament to resilience and healing, for individuals and for the world.

Like other books in this powerful series, this is a kaleidoscopic memoir in verse and experimental storytelling. As the title implies, these pieces reveal a myriad of griefs, both great and small, physical and abstract, societal and psychological. Painful confessions and nakedly honest revelations abound: “Today I took a breath praying to die / Hoping that this last one would be free.” Griffin fearlessly undresses his own wounds that were inflicted long before childhood, before his own birth, and distills them into dense verse electrified with visceral language.

Though the poet has preferred formats – 4/2/4/2/4 – there is a variety of poetic styles at work, along with myriad themes, from nostalgia, scars, and rebirth to mental illness, abolition, body image, and self-respect. There are few poems that feel out of place or redundant, despite the length of the collection; the breadth of exploration and reflection is impressive throughout.

Blending mythology and philosophy with tales of survival and odes to grief, Griffin has brought his Urban Poetry and Soul series to a poignant conclusion.

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