Elsewhere, We Became

Elsewhere, We Became is a poetry collection that also includes shorter works of prose written by author Ari Augustine. The topics show a range of abilities that she possesses. Most pages are full of loss, but there are instances of love found. It reads much like a diary. The formations of the poems themselves are fluid in the sense that they don’t fit a consistent structure throughout, which creates a curiosity factor. What will the next poem look like?

The photographs within are unique and some incomplete–not the photos, but the words surrounding them are cut off. Perhaps the author added them in to represent a specific mentality, that she feels or felt that she or her words were cut off from being heard. There were many favorite lines and poem titles. One of those poem titles being “City Soup.” A favorite line from a poem entitled “PTSD”: “Her body will break like jar.” The bluntness of it really gives it an impactful beginning, hitting the reader right to the bone. There is a soul in her words, and you won’t want to pass it up. There are a few blank pages and typos, but overall a great read.