By Meagan Bess
There are many people with gifts in this world but putting such gifts into practice and making a career out of those passions is hard work.
Poets still have a place in this world. There are many amateurs that flood Instagram and Twitter. There are poetry jams around the world, even in restaurants like Busboys and Poets that create an outlet for poets to broadcast their talents.
One poetess who is making her mark in the poetry industry is Reyna Biddy. Although she hasn’t released any new work in 2020, one of her previous works is one to read. A Psalm for Us, which was published in 2018, still remains relevant in a time of various beliefs and customs. This collection features short stories alongside poems of varying lengths. Here’s my take on the collection…
Untitled
A standout poem in which the speaker appears to refer to herself. She hides behind closed doors from people so they don’t know a side of her that hurts and seems to be unsatisfied. It seems that the prayer the speaker mentions might be the only thing to release this woman from herself, allow her to finally be free and show a side of herself that no longer knows what pain feels like or how it feels to be trapped in her own body.
i see you
This piece in the collection contains four parts, in which part three stands out in particular. This is where a woman seems to have various conflicting emotional and mental states. She wants to remain in that welcome state but sadness seems to get in the way.
the loneliest loneliness
“Your silence always reminds me why on my loneliest nights I run toward pain.” Here it seems as if the subject is experiencing troubling circumstances. She’s all alone “running towards pain” when she deserves better. She deserves happiness that anyone can crave.
things you’ve said before
Various remarks made in this passage seems to suggest mixed signals and indecisiveness, which in turn cause heartbreak and the mending of one’s heart over time.
chance
This moment in the collection inspires empathy with the speaker, which is a vast change from the indecisiveness expressed in the previous passages. It introduces the possibility that love isn’t a bad thing, even if it makes you foolish.
I hope my summarized interpretations of these poems have inspired you to read the works Biddy has released, come up with your own opinion about them and share her creations with family and friends. She is a phenomenal poetess who is only getting started. To follow her updates on her life and updates on any collections in the works head over to her Instagram @reynabiddy.
