Someone Else's Wedding Vows, by Bianca Stone

Disclaimer: I don't read a lot of poetry.  Does that make me unqualified to review a book of poetry?  I don't know.  I see poetry as lyrics without music, a chance to saw something in a way that transcends the limits of prose, and to offer turns of phrase that force the reader to examine the lenses through which he or she reads.  Bianca Stone's new collection of poems, Someone Else's Wedding Vows, does just that, but left me a little flat.

These poems contain snippets of powerful imagery, and snapshots of insight, but didn't congeal into much coherence for me, either individually or as a collection.  I was reminded of a song with a few good riffs but that never really goes anywhere.  Someone Else's Wedding Vows felt a little like someone else's stream of consciousness, or someone else's inside stories to which I am not privy. 




Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!