Growth by Karin Cox | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

I'll send you summer's memory,
sharp and clear,
to slice through icy veneer like a knife.
My girl, your halcyon days may well be
here,
but you'll return
--this sunshine fuels your life. 

I snagged this for free on Amazon not that long ago. If my memory serves, it was earlier this year--but don't hold me to it. Karin Cox has an elegant prose to her that is in a class of its own and highly relatable; but in the case of Growth, there are several missteps and a whole lot of filler to weed out before you find a classic gem. In fact, it's because of this that I've been so conflicted about even beginning to review this collection.

Let me explain. When Karin Cox is good, she's good. But in all that goodness, there are several (several) duds in the batch that will make reading this short series border on tedious. Which is strange, given the size of it and how little there is to pick up on in its length. Saying this will perhaps give off the impression that I didn't like or connect with a vast majority of her work--that is not true. At. All. I did connect with a lot in Growth, despite its lower points.


Ultimately there's something intimate and warm about the good in Growth. It will call upon something in you during those moments. Something like reading a journal or someone's desires and/or faults. I loved that element and had only wished that the entirety had collected on the very same vibe. Because when Growth was good, it was bloody brilliant--the entire glimpse could have been downright magical and something about this fact makes me feel a bit letdown.

All in all, it's a very nice collection of poems that will surely speak to its target audience. One can find a kindred spirit in Cox and her words; it's easy to finish this in one sitting and will certainly connect with more than one person. I don't regret picking up and enjoyed far more than I didn't in it.