The Carrying: Poems

If you love poetry this one will challenge you but make you never want to put it down.

There’s a lot we carry knowingly — and some weights we think we’ve shed, only to realize they still press against us. Ada Limón’s “The Carrying” felt like a witness to both kinds of weight for me. “A Name” spoke to the deep human need not just for acknowledgment, but for recognition — to be seen and known fully “Trying” knocked the air out of me, a reminder that persistence can be both desire and faith. “Full Gallop” felt like an ode to the wild woman — or simply the woman who remembers her own expansiveness. “Carrying” brought tears to my eyes, a reflection on transmuting personal pain so that others might find light, and how we rise together. These were my favorite poems, and this is how I connected with them. I loved how Ada Limón’s poetry reels you into the unfolding of an ordinary moment made extraordinary by presence. You carry both grief and joy in her words, and you find yourself asking: “How do I carry all of these without crumbling beneath their weight?” Her poems show the way. 💬 Favorite Quotes: “When Eve walked among the animals and named them— nightingale, red-shouldered hawk, fiddler crab, fallow deer— I wonder if she ever wanted them to speak back, looked into their wide wonderful eyes and whispered ‘Name me, name me.’” “But sometimes I swear I hear it, the wound closing like a rusted-over garage door…” “unanswered messages like ghosts in the throat…” “Look, we are not unspectacular things. We’ve come this far, survived this much. What would happen if we decided to survive more? To love harder?” “… how hawks are both serene and scary as hell, scary that is, if you’re the mouse. That’s the trick, we say, isn’t it? Don’t be the mouse.” “How my own body, empty, clean of secrets, knows how to carry her, knows we were all meant for something.”

I heard Ada Limon read "Wonder Woman" on the radio, and was so moved by it, that I had to pick up the book. The collection is, to borrow a metaphor from a previous reviewer, a thunderstorm. It is slow to start - the first 18 poems didn't really grab me or really capture my imagination. But like a storm, the pressure builds until there is a tremendous release and torrent. So, too, here, as the remaining two-thirds of the collection really hit me where I live. Among my favorites are her "The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to be Bi-lingual" in which Limon writes, "When you come, bring your brown- ness so we can be sure to please the funders. Will you check this box; we're applying for a grant. Do you have any poems that speak to troubled teens? Bilingual is best. ..." Several of her poems seem to be of a more personal nature, which I struggled connecting with. Those that touched on issues of politics, race, gender and broader descriptions of relationships and life resonated more with me - like "Wonder Woman" and "Instructions on Not Giving Up": "More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor's almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving their cotton-candy colored blossoms to the slate sky of spring rains, its the greening of the trees that really gets to me ..." I am glad that I pushed through the first section of the collection - the images, the perspectives, the emotions that Limon stirred in me through her poems were why I read poetry in the first place: they capture moments in time and open a door through which I can connect with the poet. A beautiful anthology.

I loved everything about this poetry book. From beginning to end, from the middle, from the top to bottom. If I could give it ten stars I would. I folded so many pages to go back to read the poems. Most of them touched me deeply and I felt a connection to them. It's rare these days that happens. This is a special poetry book to keep close. I highly recommend it.

Ada Limón's The Carrying is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and resilience that resonates deeply. With lyrical grace and profound honesty, Limón navigates the tender landscapes of infertility, familial bonds, and societal upheavals. Her poetry is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to endure and find beauty amidst adversity. This collection is a must-read for anyone seeking poetry that speaks directly to the heart and soul.