I'll Fly Away

Rana Najjar

Rating: really liked it
My parents
were in a long distance
relationship for over 30 years,
and they lived in the same house.

I learned you can
be right next to someone but
also 1,000 miles away from
them without asking geography
its opinion.

Often, the space between 2 people
can be measured by the number
of the times they look at each other

and feel nothing.


Rudy Francisco is easily my favorite modern poet. His poems always touch something inside my soul. Always make me emotional. I don't know how he does it, but he does it.
Helium is one of my favorite modern poetry books. I loved this too, but not as much.

Malak Souama

Rating: really liked it
I re-read it today because it is nice to remember how your favorite things taste on your tongue.

Where a world is hidden, but people refuse to see.
Rudy is one of my favorite poets, maybe in the top two. He's a man of a word that has so much beauty and honesty, you refuse to look away.
Today, I refuse to look away. I hope you won't look away, I hope you stare at those words as hard as you can like you will never break the eye contact.
I hope we all keep the lessons closer to our hearts and minds, for this is a magic trick I accept falling to.
I reread so many poems because of how impressing they were. I swallowed them and tried to make them familiar to my tongue, for I want to tell people a small history written by Rudy.
I have always used some of his poems as examples in my class discussions and whenever students clap, I wonder if it's for me or for his words. I hope it's for his words and I hope they will clap more soon because I will pass his message.

Shannon (kitchandpages)

Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed Helium more but this was creative and original in its own right and very enjoyable to read!

Em

Rating: really liked it
We don't say "I love you" very often, but we do say "Have you eaten today?"

Content Warnings: Discussions of Gun Violence & Depression

Wow. This book had it all and then some.

This poetry collection flows through multiple sections that each start with a list of words that don't exist in English, but that should. If that doesn't reflect just how unique this book is, I am not sure what will. Covering everything from mental health to fatherhood this book was captivating and kept you wanting more after every poem.

This was one of the best poetry collection's I have ever read, and I cannot wait to go and consume every single thing Rudy Francisco has ever written. Please please please go and check out this collection, I promise you won't regret it.

Beatrice Masaluñga

Rating: really liked it
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

Rudy Francisco is kind of poet who writes simple words yet can touch his reader's lives. That's proven when I've read Helium last year and became one of my favorite poetry collections. I'll Fly Away gives a similar tone as it explores mental health and more topics. I noticed this is more cryptic which makes the poems confusing and less enjoyable. You're the one who'll decipher his message. It's not bad but definitely not the best collection.

Kristy K

Rating: really liked it
3.5 Stars

If you like spoken word poetry, then you’ll enjoy this. A lot of short poems that I wish were longer, but on a whole I enjoyed it.

Kathryn S (Metaphors and Miscellanea)

Rating: really liked it

"English is the shiniest hammer I own, but it’s also
the only thing in my toolbox.

I use it all the time, but there is so much it cannot do."

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m a huge fan of Button Poetry. And I am especially a huge fan of Rudy Francisco. His writing is gorgeous, flowing seemingly effortlessly from one clever metaphor to the next, but never sacrificing emotional intimacy at the cost of linguistic virtuoso. This is raw, powerful, beautiful poetry that you can practically hear the performance of in your head.

What is particularly interesting about this collection is that it is entirely premised on the idea that language is so often inadequate to convey what we mean. There are so many phenomena that we don’t have words for in English, but should. Rudy comes up with new names for dozens of these terms and uses them to provide a structural and thematic framework for the book, filling in the gaps when there simply is not an elegant way to express a thought. And given the wide range of topics covered in this book–including mental illness, family, love, racial injustice, and more–there are a lot of useful words.

Fans of Rudy’s previous work–specifically his well-known “Honest Poem”–will appreciate the self-reference here in his new poem, the equally-wonderful “The poem where I lie about everything.” Other standout titles in this collection include “Climate Change” (spoiler: it’s not actually about pollution), “Drowning Fish,” and the many “erasure-poems” he crafts out of everything from song lyrics to NRA statements.

I seriously cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get to the last page and immediately want to go back to the start and read it all over again.

For a longer version of this review, with lots of quotes from my favorite lines, check out my BLOG!

Thank you to Button Poetry for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Maria

Rating: really liked it
“Have you ever noticed

how much water
hates to argue?

How it molds itself into
the shape of the pour,
makes a home where it lands,

but also never gives up its identity.

As if to say, ‘Sure, I’ll stay
but only if I can be myself.’

I think there is a lesson here.”

The Cat of Elfhame

Rating: really liked it

"Speak because your voice is currency, and their comfort isn't worth your silence."

This book involves topics such as social issues regarding the rights of black people, couple issues, love and being confined in one's own domain. I usually don't read much poetry, so I'm not a proper judge, but to me the poems felt eloquent. I genuinely liked the writing. It comprises of words given in the middle which don't exist, but probably should, and all of them made me think that they should actually exist. The way it's been divided into different parts was fun to read, and as I haven't read many poetry books, it was definitely new.

Andrea Pole

Rating: really liked it
I'll Fly Away by Rudy Francisco is a stunning and fresh collection of poems that challenge the very concept of language, and its inadequacy in conveying our shared experiences in an ever changing world. I will be circling back to read Helium, Mr Francisco's prequel to this brilliant collection.

This is poetry that is to be savoured, one delicious word at a time. Creating words that do not currently exist in the English language, but should as a reflection of societal norms, is a concept that certainly provides some food for thought. This is a timely and relevant read, and one that I would return to again and again.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Button Poetry, and Rudy Francisco for the opportunity to read this ARC.

vrenzy goel

Rating: really liked it
Some of the words in this poem are beautiful. This poem would also make a great gift. Rudy is not an amazing poet but his poems do make you think and remember. They dont stay with you after you have read them, you dont want to print out copies but you do smile, and you do like some lines so much that you want to share them with the world.

Some poems ricochet off me, others make me feel like they are written about me. The poems are about sad days but bouncing off those days. They are about kindness and hope.

Maybe a man would enjoy these poems more.

A lot of the poems are about racism that Black people survive, i could not identify with it but I am sure its well written and will stir something in people who have been in these situations. The thoughts and ideas behind his poems are good and different.

We don’t say “I love you” very often, but we do say “Have you eaten today?”

I loved the writing style in this book, words that should exist and their definitions, i wish all these words existed. This book also dabbles in a lot of topics. This maybe Rudy’s best work.

Pratha

Rating: really liked it
Absolutely absolutely beautiful.
I have no other words to describe this except that it's beautiful.
What a collection ❤

The poems are spectacular and the writing is so amazing I was left speechless.
Some lines were just so perfectly written I had to stop reading to just appreciate it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE POETRY.
Prepare to have your mind blown.

bayaan

Rating: really liked it
Click

There are 2 things I know
about people and guns:

they both feel strange
when you hold them
for the 1st time,

and something always clicks
when they are empty.

———————————————
Perhaps I told you
I was leaving

because it was
the only way you
would notice my absence



woah this poetry collection was super unique and powerful and beautifully written I very much enjoyed reading it

Mery Lizardo

Rating: really liked it
So many tears. This collection is the salve you don’t realize you need and yet become grateful for

Rachel

Rating: really liked it
Is it ever not love when it comes to Rudy Francisco? The answer is so obviously no. Francisco is my absolute favorite poetry slam artist. Reading his poems are great too, especially if you know his usual rhythm and follow the lines. I cannot stress this enough- I love this collection.

However, this book is structured a little differently than Helium was, and at first I wasn't completely on board with it, but by the end I was a part of the crew. Ahoy! If you don't want to know the way it's structured this would be a good time to skip ahead. This collection of poetry introduces us to "words that do not currently exist in the English language, but should". Every section starts out with a new list of these words and every so many pages we are individually introduced to these words. It's set up just like a page from the dictionary; the word / noun, verb, adjective / how to pronounce it / definition. Then we get a poem on the following page that directly relates to the word we were just introduced to. It's an interesting technique. Definitely creative.

Ah, So you've skipped ahead huh? Well, it should come as no surprise that real issues were discussed in this collection. 2020 was the year that blew up, in so many ways and Francisco is here with a few cultural pieces to examine. We get into Miranda rights, climate change, police brutality, politics, and black strength+. None of it comes off as too much of one thing though, they all fit together and flow really well.

I think my favorite poems were the longer ones. I love Francisco's longer poems. Examples from this collection include: The poem where I lie about everything, Drowning Fish, Ode to the block button, A lot like you, It is the year 2036*, and Climate Change. But, don't be fooled, his short poems aren't to be ignore either. Some of his short poems pack such a punch that your momentarily rendered immobile. Like, I watched the viral video of the police officer. Damn. Good damn, but damn.

*You're probably wondering what about this poem. It is the year 2036 is wonderful. It made me smile and the Democratic Presidential Nominee made me laugh out loud; I knew what was coming. It was too perfect not to. But, I also knew as I was reading this laughable poem that Francisco was going to find a way to morph it at the end and make it something deeper. Something important, and he delivered like only Rudy Francisco would and it deserves a standing ovation. 👏🏻👏🏻

Go search for his videos, indulge yourself and then order one of his books. I highly doubt you'll regret it.