Time Is a Mother
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- Create Date：2022-04-07 06:52:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ocean Vuong
- ISBN：0593300238
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Summary
The highly anticipated collection of poems from the award-winning writer Ocean Vuong
How else do we return to ourselves but to fold
The page so it points to the good part
In this deeply intimate second poetry collection， Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother's death， embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it。 Shifting through memory， and in concert with the themes of his novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous， Vuong contends with personal loss， the meaning of family， and the cost of being the product of an American war in America。 At once vivid， brave， and propulsive， Vuong's poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicenter of the break。
The author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds， winner of the 2016 Whiting Award， the 2017 T。S。 Eliot Prize， and a 2019 MacArthur fellow， Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing sight of the current moment。 These poems represent a more innovative and daring experimentation with language and form， illuminating how the themes we perennially live in and question are truly inexhaustible。 Bold and prescient， and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence， Time Is a Mother is a return and a forging forth all at once。
How else do we return to ourselves but to fold
The page so it points to the good part
In this deeply intimate second poetry collection， Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother's death， embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it。 Shifting through memory， and in concert with the themes of his novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous， Vuong contends with personal loss， the meaning of family， and the cost of being the product of an American war in America。 At once vivid， brave， and propulsive， Vuong's poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicenter of the break。
The author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds， winner of the 2016 Whiting Award， the 2017 T。S。 Eliot Prize， and a 2019 MacArthur fellow， Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing sight of the current moment。 These poems represent a more innovative and daring experimentation with language and form， illuminating how the themes we perennially live in and question are truly inexhaustible。 Bold and prescient， and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence， Time Is a Mother is a return and a forging forth all at once。
Reviews
Boustrophedon
，
I actually liked this better than his other two books， which I thought were overhyped and overwritten。 However， because so many of these poems are written about Vuong himself， and in a self-pitying mood （Jee Leong Koh picks up on this in a good and terse review in the Times Literary Supplement）， it's hard not to read them against Vuong's success。Vuong is now a thirtysomething multi-millionaire whose first novel is being turned into a Hollywood movie。 In a way， I admire him for this: he was able I actually liked this better than his other two books， which I thought were overhyped and overwritten。 However， because so many of these poems are written about Vuong himself， and in a self-pitying mood （Jee Leong Koh picks up on this in a good and terse review in the Times Literary Supplement）， it's hard not to read them against Vuong's success。Vuong is now a thirtysomething multi-millionaire whose first novel is being turned into a Hollywood movie。 In a way， I admire him for this: he was able to turn the way people--mostly his fans， actually--infantilize Asian men and exploit that to his own profit， so that no matter how established he becomes everyone still sees him as an emergent voice needing our protection。There has always been a fake quality to Vuong's writing。 Because his only mode of metaphor is that of body violence and trauma， repeated incessantly and applied to everything， I have always found his writing concocted to manipulate the reader's emotions （I mean， just look at all the reviews where everyone is crying and destroyed; really？） The result at this point in his career is that it feels like literary slumming。 Whatever power and sarcasm a line like "Because everyone knows yellow pain， pressed into American letters， turns to gold" would have had years ago becomes a bit clueless when， yes， you actually have used your trauma to become very wealthy。 A line like that needs some awareness of self， an acknowledgement that others have not been so lucky， and the poem would be far more interesting--and true--if he had gone into the tensions of a publishing industry that has given him everything but only if he can continually be a victim， especially to his adoring fans。So of course we have a Gay-Bashing Poem， a Holocaust Poem （apparently his boyfriend is related to Auschwitz survivors， but it becomes just another trauma to heap on the pile）， a Loneliness Poem。 The poems that actually feel moving， and not manipulative， are the sublter ones based on what I presume to be real， raw emotion: that of his mother and her death （like the quasi-found poem made from a list of Amazon receipts）。I think the poems here are generally better than some of his other ones， although I can't say his writing has sharpened。 But ask yourself: This person has had hundreds of thousands of dollars and a huge marketing campaign to bolster his career。 Is his writing really all that different or better than those who have not been so lucky？ 。。。more
lee
，
honestly as a lover of poetry/words and as a poet/writer myself i went into reading this book with a clear mind。 i heard other poetry lovers raving about it and thought “okay finally an ocean vuong book that i will understand” but ive finished the book honestly disappointed because i just don’t get “it”。 everything vuong writes seems to be a mystery to me and one that isn’t worth decoding。 those who get it get it， and those who don’t don’t， i just happen to be one of the people who don’t。 there honestly as a lover of poetry/words and as a poet/writer myself i went into reading this book with a clear mind。 i heard other poetry lovers raving about it and thought “okay finally an ocean vuong book that i will understand” but ive finished the book honestly disappointed because i just don’t get “it”。 everything vuong writes seems to be a mystery to me and one that isn’t worth decoding。 those who get it get it， and those who don’t don’t， i just happen to be one of the people who don’t。 there are a few lines that stick out because i can actually make sense of them “I guess what I mean is that I ate the apple not because the man lied when he said I was born of his rib but that I wanted to fill myself with its hunger for the ground， where the bones of my people still dream of me。” and “I walked through my brother’s laughter just to feel the rain。” both from the poem the last dinosaur。 everything else falls short of the praise that i read。 i feel like i am missing out on something that everyone else is picking up。 but right now it just seems like a bunch of words strung together in the most confusing and odd ways。 。。。more
Gina
，
There are some lines of this that are so visceral I felt I was in a specific place or smelling a specific food。 While this collection seems to primarily touch on grief （of losing his mother， of grieving his identity， of grieving the loss of his country） there are also moments of beauty and joy amidst the war imagery and pain。 I was tearing up at the month by month poem detailing his sick mother's amazon shopping list and I loved the way he merged things in "Old Glory。""Because crying， believe it There are some lines of this that are so visceral I felt I was in a specific place or smelling a specific food。 While this collection seems to primarily touch on grief （of losing his mother， of grieving his identity， of grieving the loss of his country） there are also moments of beauty and joy amidst the war imagery and pain。 I was tearing up at the month by month poem detailing his sick mother's amazon shopping list and I loved the way he merged things in "Old Glory。""Because crying， believe it or not， did wonders。" 。。。more
Margie
，
My favourite poem in this collection has to be "Beautiful Short Loser"。 But in general I prefer Vuong's prose in comparison to his poetry collections。 My favourite poem in this collection has to be "Beautiful Short Loser"。 But in general I prefer Vuong's prose in comparison to his poetry collections。 。。。more
emi🧚🏼♀️
，
wow， ocean vuong is a poet for the ages
Chelsey
，
Wow。
Jonathan
，
i'm miserablegonna buy twenty copies to keep in every corner of my room lines"I thinkI'm doing it rightnow finally maybeI'm winning even if it just looks likemy fingers are shaking""I'm not sad， he told me once， laughing， I'm just always here。""Maybe，like you， I was one ofthose peoplewho loves the worldmostwhen I'm rock-bottom inmy fast cargoing nowhere。""What's wrong with me， Doc？ There must be a pill for this。Because the fairy taleswere right。 You'll needsorcery to make it out ofhere。" i'm miserablegonna buy twenty copies to keep in every corner of my room lines"I thinkI'm doing it rightnow finally maybeI'm winning even if it just looks likemy fingers are shaking""I'm not sad， he told me once， laughing， I'm just always here。""Maybe，like you， I was one ofthose peoplewho loves the worldmostwhen I'm rock-bottom inmy fast cargoing nowhere。""What's wrong with me， Doc？ There must be a pill for this。Because the fairy taleswere right。 You'll needsorcery to make it out ofhere。" 。。。more
Astrid
，
Absolutely heart-aching and wonderful language， as I've come to expect from one of my favorite poets writing currently。 Devoured it in one sitting， cried twice on the steps of my campus library in front of the spring sun & everyone。 grief and childhood and loss and time are the themes I'm working with currently， and to see them applied so masterfully: I adore his work， and this collection especially。 Absolutely heart-aching and wonderful language， as I've come to expect from one of my favorite poets writing currently。 Devoured it in one sitting， cried twice on the steps of my campus library in front of the spring sun & everyone。 grief and childhood and loss and time are the themes I'm working with currently， and to see them applied so masterfully: I adore his work， and this collection especially。 。。。more
matt
，
bro why is this page of someone’s amazon purchase history making me cry rn？this type of sparse， confessional poetry can be so hit-or-miss， and the more daring and soul-baring it gets， the finer the line between “utter shit” and “genius work of art” gets。 Vuong is one of only a small handful that deservedly belong in the latter category。
norah
，
Oh my god oh my god“the surest shelter was always the thoughtsabove your head。 That it’s fair—it has to be—how our hands hurt us， then give usthe world。 How you can love the worlduntil there’s nothing left to lovebut yourself。 Then you can stop。Then you can walk away—back into the fog-walled minefield， where the vein in your neck adores youto zero。 You can walk away。 You can be nothing& still breathing。 Believe me。”Ocean vuong’s writing and poetry are so close to my heart。 Probably the writer th Oh my god oh my god“the surest shelter was always the thoughtsabove your head。 That it’s fair—it has to be—how our hands hurt us， then give usthe world。 How you can love the worlduntil there’s nothing left to lovebut yourself。 Then you can stop。Then you can walk away—back into the fog-walled minefield， where the vein in your neck adores youto zero。 You can walk away。 You can be nothing& still breathing。 Believe me。”Ocean vuong’s writing and poetry are so close to my heart。 Probably the writer that makes me feel the most regardless of the very different lives we lead。 Words can’t express how much his art means to me— this was a delight to read even though it felt like a punch in the guts。 No one does it like Ocean Vuong and I can’t wait to reread this a million times。！！！！I also want someone to kiss me as if returning a porcelain shardto my cheek！！！！ 。。。more
Roisin Maeve
，
Was released today， bookshop assistant had to dig it out of a box for me which felt fitting and deeply sad。 Give Ocean a shelf for godsake！ He’s only maybe （definitely） the best poet of this generation？ I’m only halfway through but it’s already my favourite book so here we are
Court Schueller
，
…wow。 I had high expectations。This was better than I expected。 Perfect rainy night poetry reading。 Emotions at an all time high。 I love these words。 Will definitely go back to this book again and again。 OCEAN VUONG。 Wow！
Lisa of Troy
，
This is my first work by Ocean Vuong， and I wasn’t disappointed。 This is a collection of poetry， and I had both a copy of the text and the audiobook （authors just love me）。 This author reminded me so much of T。S Eliot because the poetry would evoke such clear imagery。 There was one scene which described the sounds of cooking that I was actually smelling the food。 Here are a few of my favorite lines:I thought the fall would kill me but it only made me realI just don’t believe in time。It doesn’t h This is my first work by Ocean Vuong， and I wasn’t disappointed。 This is a collection of poetry， and I had both a copy of the text and the audiobook （authors just love me）。 This author reminded me so much of T。S Eliot because the poetry would evoke such clear imagery。 There was one scene which described the sounds of cooking that I was actually smelling the food。 Here are a few of my favorite lines:I thought the fall would kill me but it only made me realI just don’t believe in time。It doesn’t have to make sense to be realI want to take care of the planet because I need a beautiful graveyard。 I am wrong often—but not enough to forget you。If I had to pick between the text or the audiobook， I would hands down pick the audiobook。 Some of the formatting of the poems made it difficult to understand where to pause and take a breath。 If I was reading the poems on my own， they would not have had the intended flow by the author。 These poems were phenomenal， but they were written after Vuong’s mother died so some of them are pretty dark。 Although this might be my first book of poetry by Vuong， I certainly hope that it is not my last。2022 Reading ScheduleJan Animal FarmFeb Lord of the FliesMar The Da Vinci CodeApr Of Mice and MenMay Memoirs of a GeishaJun Little WomenJul The Lovely BonesAug Charlotte's WebSep Life of PiOct DraculaNov Gone with the WindDec The Secret GardenConnect With Me！Twitter: https://twitter。com/Lisa_of_TroyYouTube: https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCvmS。。。Facebook: https://facebook。com/LisaofTroyEmail: hello@lisaoftroy。com 。。。more
Arden
，
3。5
Pili
，
I'm gutted。 This collection was visceral， tender， and unrelentingly beautiful。 Vuong is a master with words。 Each poem is crafted with such delicacy and precision， I found myself in awe at the end of each section。 If I could write more words I would， but I'm simply too blown away。 I'm gutted。 This collection was visceral， tender， and unrelentingly beautiful。 Vuong is a master with words。 Each poem is crafted with such delicacy and precision， I found myself in awe at the end of each section。 If I could write more words I would， but I'm simply too blown away。 。。。more
Hannah Showalter
，
I don’t have the correct words to describe how I feel about this book， but I will say that Ocean Vuong makes me fall in love with writing and words like it’s the first time I learned how to do either。 I love him and every poem in this collection。
savannah
，
i’m completely shocked because i liked his previous works。 this felt incredibly unseasoned and empty and the attempts to create a quirky speaker/voice just came across as immature， nonsensical， or even cheesy。 i only skimmed the last section because it was getting unbearable i’m sorry mr。 vuong
Anthony Salazar
，
This collection is voiced much differently than the first collection。 Though most of the poems are decent， "Woodworking at the End of the World" is fantastic。 This collection is voiced much differently than the first collection。 Though most of the poems are decent， "Woodworking at the End of the World" is fantastic。 。。。more
Haley
，
Spent an emotional roller coaster of an evening reading this the day it was delivered。 Ocean is as masterful as ever。
Kayla Aldrich
，
he can’t keep getting away with this
Evelyn
，
Autobiographical poems about the author’s family history， life as an Asian immigrant and LGBTQ male， and coming to terms with the loss of his mother。 It helps if one has read the author’s autobiographical novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” since many of the subjects alluded to in the poems were discussed there in greater detail。 Those discussions give the reader a better grasp of the poems’ themes and meanings。
Morgan
，
Incredible book of poetry proving （once again） Ocean Vuong’s mastery of language。 Each poem is a snapshot that pulls you under， yet they all flow together so well。 I feel like it pairs so well with his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous but also would stand well on its own。
Paul
，
Not only does Ocean address international conflicts…he narrows in on the queer experience in a way that has never seemed so tangible for everyone—he even speaks to cis-heterosexual persons in this masterpiece。 I’ve never lost myself into a book of poetry like I have here and I was fully immersed in his last piece。 Cannot recommend enough！
Erin
，
4。5Well， that was amazing。 Now to reread it。
Ron
，
I preferred Briefly Gorgeous but this collection was good as well。 What it lacked in form， for me， it made up for with emotion resonance。Actual Rating: 3。5
andra
，
I love Ocean Vuong so much that it hurts my dignity and vanity to admit I didn’t understand some parts💔THOUGH THE “I WAS MADE TO DIE BUT I’M HERE TO STAY”
Azhar
，
ocean’s command of language is always such a delight and wonder to read。 i feel a lot of the poetry did deserve more time spend with them， to dissect， discover what they were about， instead of being consumed overnight in a wide-eyed daze。 but man， he can sure fucking write。
Andy
，
So glad we finally get another collection from Vuong。 I wasn't the biggest fan of the first one， but he far improves in this one。 I could really feel the emotions of the poems and it really made me think more than his previous work。Rupi Kaur could never。 So glad we finally get another collection from Vuong。 I wasn't the biggest fan of the first one， but he far improves in this one。 I could really feel the emotions of the poems and it really made me think more than his previous work。Rupi Kaur could never。 。。。more
irene
，
precioso， no tengo más palabras。 el lirismo de Ocean es。。。 🥹🥹🥹hay algunos poemas muy buenos， especialmente en la primera parte y， sin duda， planeo releerlo en el futuro; se nota la evolución de Ocean como escritor （aunque， al mismo tiempo， prefiero un poco más Cielo nocturno con heridas de fuego）。 Inside my head， the war is everywhere。I’m on the cliff of myself & these aren’t wings， they’re futures。Because this mess I made I made with love。Because they came into my life， these ghosts， like precioso， no tengo más palabras。 el lirismo de Ocean es。。。 🥹🥹🥹hay algunos poemas muy buenos， especialmente en la primera parte y， sin duda， planeo releerlo en el futuro; se nota la evolución de Ocean como escritor （aunque， al mismo tiempo， prefiero un poco más Cielo nocturno con heridas de fuego）。 Inside my head， the war is everywhere。I’m on the cliff of myself & these aren’t wings， they’re futures。Because this mess I made I made with love。Because they came into my life， these ghosts， like something poured。Because crying， believe it or not， did wonders。 。。。more
s。penkevich
，
‘Nobody’s free without breaking open。’2016 saw the rise of Ocean Vuong with his incredible and well-lauded debut collection of poetry。 Deservedly so as Vuong has a gift of language to discuss difficult and painful subjects in a way that illuminates them in beauty。 Time is a Mother， his second full-length volume of poetry， makes good on his early promises of excellence as Vuong examines grief from a multitude of vantage points， be it grief from loss of a loved one or a country。 Following his debu ‘Nobody’s free without breaking open。’2016 saw the rise of Ocean Vuong with his incredible and well-lauded debut collection of poetry。 Deservedly so as Vuong has a gift of language to discuss difficult and painful subjects in a way that illuminates them in beauty。 Time is a Mother， his second full-length volume of poetry， makes good on his early promises of excellence as Vuong examines grief from a multitude of vantage points， be it grief from loss of a loved one or a country。 Following his debut novel， On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous， an autobiographically informed work that centers on the death of his mother， here we find poems that extend the theme and processing of grief， frequently drawing parallels between human and animal bodies as if to remind us that any loss is tragic。 He simultaneously grieves the loss of cultural identity as one ages in the United States instead of a home country where the scars of war stand out in the family history of relocation。 Vuong is at his best when playing with form and in the longer poems that give room for experimentation and compounding of an idea， and Time is a Mother is a gorgeous and heartbreaking collection that is as teeming with emotion as it is poetic integrity and execution。‘You’re smiling because the starsare just stars & you knowwe’ll only live oncethis time。’There are few aspects of life more universal than the mourning of death， and birth and the inevitability of dying are two things we all have in common。 ‘Lest we forget， a morgue is also a community center，’ Vuong writes， and these poems are something we can all come together around and harmonize about the human condition。 Time is a Mother feels the natural follow-up to Vuong’s novel like an abstract afterword as commentary on what had transpired in the book but also a bridge forward to whatever will come next。 In these pages we see the whole of Vuong’s life， such as family members， generational trauma， musings on identity and more culminate into the grieving process and an inward look at one’s small position in a vast universe as memories show they have emotional barbs and processing pain and feeling the weight of existence becomes a necessity to continue living。‘Because this mess I made， I made with love。’There are a wonderful variety of techniques utilized here， from short poems that deliver a staccatoed burst of images to multipage emotional epics and dense prose poems that read nearly like deleted scenes from Vuong’s novel。 Personally， the more daring and experimental poems or longs ones work best for me， such as the poem Reasns for Staying， an emotional knock-out inspired by his Vuong’s uncle who took his own life in 2012 that lists soul-stirring moments of life that uphold the beauty of existence。 ‘Because they came in to my life， these ghosts， like something poured，’ he writes as he lists reasons to live that include rain falling on his partner’s shoulder， reading ‘my books by the light of riotfire，’ or ‘because this body is my last address。’ In another poem he lists the Amazon purchases of his mother over the course of a year， a narrative of a life suddenly upended by cancer slowly and cleverly being revealed by the list of items in a way that touches on the way details of our lives become marketing data for corporations to sell us products。 List poems appear several times in this collection， with Old Glory listing common phrases to show how normalized violence and death is into our language。 It makes us stop and consider how phrases like telling someone to “go in guns blazing” might not seem like positive encouragement to someone who has experienced war or been a family of refugees。 Some of the later poems are written as dense prose poems， which aren’t my favorite personally， but Vuong packs a lot of emotion into them。‘Because the fairy tales were right。 You’ll need sorcery to make it out of here。’The grief in these poems is not only for those who have passed， but also for the living who are marginalized by society。 ‘I used to be a fag now I’m a checkbox，’ he writes in Not Even a poem that later details a scene where a white woman tells him he is lucky that his identity as a queer immigrant lets him write about war and sexuality。 ‘Because everyone knows yellow pain， pressed into American letters， turns to gold，’ he remarks， commenting on how his griefs aren’t simply a marketing trick and that the idea of being jealous of it is rather disturbing。 Time is a Mother is an impactful collection that shows Vuong has plenty more to say and will continue to be a big name in poetry。 While it doesn’t hit me as strongly as the first collection， which is so endlessly quotable， it is still quite an impressive collection that resonates and left me thinking of these poems when I was away from them。 May we be reading Ocean Vuong for a long time to come。 3。75/5‘How else do we return to ourselves but to foldThe page so it points to the good part。’ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Time Is a Mother
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Time Is a Mother&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Time Is a Mother&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0