Poetry
Conversations: Words Thought but not Spoken
Candice D. Floyd
2008
Lulu.com
ISBN: 978-0-557-04565-5
Pages: 66
Conversations: Words Thought but Not Spoken is a collection of poetry that traces the coming-of-age of poet Candice D. Floyd through high school and first loves, the ugly side of male-female relationships, and the freedom that comes with growth and maturity.
While taking the reader through the journey that is her life, Floyd looks into places that hold great pain and familiarity. In “Thinking Back,” the poet draws up the memory of an openly racist America: “Sitting in a restaurant with someone of a different color / Was like being five and already having a lover… / The pain of being insulted and feeling the disgrace / Was worse than sliding across the ground on your face (17).” Floyd describes the pain associated with living under Jim Crow and the impact it had on a blossoming spirit.
“Dark Corner in the Back of the Room” is the confession of a woman who has lost herself in a man: “You left me / You took everything with you / My ability to love / My heart / My light / My life / I have nothing / If I don’t have you…(37).” “One Day, I Hope” is an excellent poem that illustrates the poet’s tangles with love, the growth that results, and the maturity that lead her to determine what she wants and what she will no longer tolerate in a relationship. “If he can’t deliver all that I need I’ll be happy with a friend / Most want a doll or puppet someone they can mold / I’ll be content with a man that I can hold…(18).”
The poet departs from the personal accounting of her life in “Boy Soldier.” The poem is a tribute to the troops that also speaks to the dichotomy of emotions those at home experience, pride versus puzzlement, in response to a person’s decision to become a soldier.
In Floyd’s work, we see the full evolution of the poet from adolescence to young adulthood. In many of the earlier pieces, the poet relies heavily on rhyme to connect concepts and imagery. As she matures, Floyd’s writing takes more of a free flowing form and makes use of adult themes of love and sex and self-worth.
From the first poem to the last, Conversations, demonstrates how maturity bridges the gaps between disappointment, heartache, longing, loneliness, and becoming a strong independent woman.
Melissa Levine
for
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
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