Time is a Mother
- Downloads：6652
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-22 07:52:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ocean Vuong
- ISBN：1787333841
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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 value of joy in a perennially fractured American spirit。 Vivid， brave， and propulsive， Vuong's poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicentre 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 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。
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 value of joy in a perennially fractured American spirit。 Vivid， brave， and propulsive， Vuong's poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicentre 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 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
Ace Boggess
，
Wow。 This is a wonderful collection from an outstanding poet。 The poet's turns of phrase left me awed at times。 I confess， I didn't understand all the poems。 I didn't understand them， and they were still beautiful。 That's not something I often say about writing。 I'll probably read this a couple more times before I even put it on the shelf。 Wow。 This is a wonderful collection from an outstanding poet。 The poet's turns of phrase left me awed at times。 I confess， I didn't understand all the poems。 I didn't understand them， and they were still beautiful。 That's not something I often say about writing。 I'll probably read this a couple more times before I even put it on the shelf。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
Some great poems， and a few dense ones that will take a slower re-read。 The longest， Dear Rose， was quite magnificent。
Becka
，
‘Nobody’s free without breaking open’。
Leonard
，
The book jacket to Ocean Vuong's "Time is a Mother" calls it "Vivid， propulsive and brave。" I would add to that "original， expansive， and somewhat obscure。" I read him， and perhaps you should too， because his poems tickle my imagination and stimulate my thoughts into unfamiliar terrain。 It's usually good to find and try out new ways of thinking and imagining。 Language has so much untapped potential。 The book jacket also adds the following: "Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing si The book jacket to Ocean Vuong's "Time is a Mother" calls it "Vivid， propulsive and brave。" I would add to that "original， expansive， and somewhat obscure。" I read him， and perhaps you should too， because his poems tickle my imagination and stimulate my thoughts into unfamiliar terrain。 It's usually good to find and try out new ways of thinking and imagining。 Language has so much untapped potential。 The book jacket also adds the following: "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 live in and question are truly inexhaustible。 Bold and prescient， and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence。" I often find it helpful to read a review about a novel or a book of poems before actually reading the work itself。 Reading how someone else perceived or understood the book opens a door for my understanding， even if I don't agree with the reviewer。 I think that would good advice for anyone planning to read this unusual collection of poems。 。。。more
Robin
，
There's something in me that resonates with Ocean Vuong's writing。 Certain lines have a tendency to nestle next to my heart and float back to me throughout the day。 This collection will be living on my nightstand for quite some time。 There's something in me that resonates with Ocean Vuong's writing。 Certain lines have a tendency to nestle next to my heart and float back to me throughout the day。 This collection will be living on my nightstand for quite some time。 。。。more
Paula
，
Time is a mother。 Lest we forget， a morgue is also a community center。Ocean Vuong did it again。 This poetry collection blew me away。 It also made me feel like I now know too much。 Like I’ve been falsely invited to look at all the hidden parts in him， buried deep。 But Vuong also looked back。I’ll show you this incredible thing we can do to mirrors just by standing still。
Jen Appell
，
Absolutely incredible。
Shannon
，
Brilliant as ever
Caroline - butchesnboots
，
"as it pushes you further into white / space how can I say the hole / in your brother's back is not / a part of your brother but your brother / aparted who is still somewhere / running because I wrote it / in the present tense the bullet head / just behind his death an insect Heartrendingly personal and seeping with emotion。 Ocean Vuong is a master of melancholy and is an expert writer。 My favorite poems from this collection are Not Even， Dear Peter， Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Work "as it pushes you further into white / space how can I say the hole / in your brother's back is not / a part of your brother but your brother / aparted who is still somewhere / running because I wrote it / in the present tense the bullet head / just behind his death an insect Heartrendingly personal and seeping with emotion。 Ocean Vuong is a master of melancholy and is an expert writer。 My favorite poems from this collection are Not Even， Dear Peter， Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker， and Rose。 I really recommend the audiobook as it is narrated by the author， who contextualizes a lot of the formatting。 If you can， I would definitely read along with the physical/ebook too。 。。。more
Melanie Pabst
，
A pure masterpiece。 Ocean Vuong does it again。 I’ll be going back and rereading this one for years to come。
Julietta
，
3。5
Angela
，
That last poem wrecked me。
Atri
，
How come the past tense is always longer？ Is the memory of a song the shadow of a sound or is that too much？***Nobody's free without breaking open。***Words， the prophets tell us， destroy nothing they can't rebuild。***on my desk this field of snow where you're lying too stillall I have to do is writethe right words & I'm beside you （again）***How you say what you mean changes what you say。***Traveler who is inches away but never here， are you warm where you are？ Are you 'you' where you are？***Octo How come the past tense is always longer？ Is the memory of a song the shadow of a sound or is that too much？***Nobody's free without breaking open。***Words， the prophets tell us， destroy nothing they can't rebuild。***on my desk this field of snow where you're lying too stillall I have to do is writethe right words & I'm beside you （again）***How you say what you mean changes what you say。***Traveler who is inches away but never here， are you warm where you are？ Are you 'you' where you are？***October leaves coming down， as if called。。。。Because this mess I made I made with love。。。。Through the singing， a way out。 Because only music rhymes with music。。。。The broken piano under a bridge in Windsor that sounds like footsteps when you play it。。。。Early snow falling from a clear， blushed sky。As if called。 。。。more
saïd
，
Things I dislike seeing in poetry:"maybe __ is just ___" / "maybe this is what ___ is"use of simile where a metaphor would be stronger or more effectivepostmodern social media-influenced punctuation （such as the use of ampersand or lowercase）sparse verse occupying a lot of page without saying muchan obvious lack of intentional poetic devices （free verse is fine but you should have _some_ sense of technique） Things I dislike seeing in poetry:"maybe __ is just ___" / "maybe this is what ___ is"use of simile where a metaphor would be stronger or more effectivepostmodern social media-influenced punctuation （such as the use of ampersand or lowercase）sparse verse occupying a lot of page without saying muchan obvious lack of intentional poetic devices （free verse is fine but you should have _some_ sense of technique） 。。。more
Imogen Kathleen
，
Ocean Vuong is easily one of my favourite writers of all time， so it's no surprise that I absolutely adored this collection。I really savoured this collection， learning from my mistake of flying through Night Sky With Exit Wounds in one sitting。 There is so much power in Vuong's words （and particularly in how easily he manipulates language）， but there is equally such a quiet， refined gentleness that I love。 I know that I will return to this collection many times in the future。 Ocean Vuong is easily one of my favourite writers of all time， so it's no surprise that I absolutely adored this collection。I really savoured this collection， learning from my mistake of flying through Night Sky With Exit Wounds in one sitting。 There is so much power in Vuong's words （and particularly in how easily he manipulates language）， but there is equally such a quiet， refined gentleness that I love。 I know that I will return to this collection many times in the future。 。。。more
Brendan Ryan
，
So this collection was full of hits and misses for meSome of them I loved more than any other poem I have before Others， I was pretty meh about I'm sure I'll regret this later but at the moment， I'm a little tired about writers writing about writing （@ Ars Poetica） because I want to read works from writers who have lives outside of writing。 Vuong certainly does but the writing is a litle too writerly for what I want right now。I should revisit this when I'm in a different reading mood So this collection was full of hits and misses for meSome of them I loved more than any other poem I have before Others， I was pretty meh about I'm sure I'll regret this later but at the moment， I'm a little tired about writers writing about writing （@ Ars Poetica） because I want to read works from writers who have lives outside of writing。 Vuong certainly does but the writing is a litle too writerly for what I want right now。I should revisit this when I'm in a different reading mood 。。。more
Kevin Krein
，
holy shit
Seth
，
“Ghosts say funny things when they’re family，” Ocean Vuong writes in his latest poetry book， “Time is a Mother。” Vuong mentions ghosts many times in this collection， rooted in memories， mourning and time。 And in a way， the poems are ghosts。 Memory is something that exists but doesn’t — something that doesn’t take tangible form， yet does。 And I think that Vuong captures that in poems about boyhood， about his mother’s death。 There is pain in these memories， sure， but also resilience。 In one poem， “Ghosts say funny things when they’re family，” Ocean Vuong writes in his latest poetry book， “Time is a Mother。” Vuong mentions ghosts many times in this collection， rooted in memories， mourning and time。 And in a way， the poems are ghosts。 Memory is something that exists but doesn’t — something that doesn’t take tangible form， yet does。 And I think that Vuong captures that in poems about boyhood， about his mother’s death。 There is pain in these memories， sure， but also resilience。 In one poem， Vuong lists “reasons for staying” like October leaves and because “this mess I made I made with love。” Time is painted through memory but Vuong also reminds us memory is an act of care。 Time is a mother， after all。 This collection will leave you breathless in its vulnerability and beauty。 。。。more
Lyra
，
Listened to the author-narrated audiobook version and loved every second of it， especially the "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker"。 Listened to the author-narrated audiobook version and loved every second of it， especially the "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker"。 。。。more
Maile
，
I love Ocean Vuong， but I did not love this。 I never read poetry so I wasn't sure what I was expecting。 Time Is a Mother is a fast-paced read full of poems exploring Vuong's identity， memories， and innermost thoughts。 I do find that his poems offered some vulnerability and intimacy， but that's the most I was able to get from it。 Nothing stuck out to me and I’m not sure I'll remember anything from this。 I still love you Ocean， I just think this wasn't for me。 I love Ocean Vuong， but I did not love this。 I never read poetry so I wasn't sure what I was expecting。 Time Is a Mother is a fast-paced read full of poems exploring Vuong's identity， memories， and innermost thoughts。 I do find that his poems offered some vulnerability and intimacy， but that's the most I was able to get from it。 Nothing stuck out to me and I’m not sure I'll remember anything from this。 I still love you Ocean， I just think this wasn't for me。 。。。more
charly
，
“it should be enough to live & die alone with music on your tongue // to jump from anywhere & make it home”💛
Reagan Kapasi
，
Enjoyed their first more， this was still beautiful and poetic but had a harder time connecting
Hope Hamilton
，
My favorite poetry of Ocean Vuong’s so far！ Before you read this， I would definitely recommend reading his novel， On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous， as this collection references some things in there and if you have the context it will be so much more meaningful！ Incredible work
Bradley
，
Read it。 Read it right now
haley ⊹
，
more of a 2。5？ there's no doubt that vuong is a talented writer but I continue to never really become enraptured by their work， despite how strongly everyone online recs them to me。 I'm a little let down that I didn't care much for this one but there are still a few lines that I liked。 more of a 2。5？ there's no doubt that vuong is a talented writer but I continue to never really become enraptured by their work， despite how strongly everyone online recs them to me。 I'm a little let down that I didn't care much for this one but there are still a few lines that I liked。 。。。more
sadie
，
i dont often read poetry。 but beautiful short loser is going to be a poem i think about for a long time
Olivia Crandall
，
The deal: You know Ocean Vuong （probably） from his novel， ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS。 This is his latest collection of poetry， mostly related to the passing of his mother， among other things。Is it worth it？: If you have a soul and even remotely like poetry， ummmm。 Duh。 Vuong could write a collection of poems about toenail fungus and I’d bask in them。 I’m pretty steadfast in not believing in the concept of “genius，” generally。 But then I read something like this and oop， there goes my weary The deal: You know Ocean Vuong （probably） from his novel， ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS。 This is his latest collection of poetry， mostly related to the passing of his mother， among other things。Is it worth it？: If you have a soul and even remotely like poetry， ummmm。 Duh。 Vuong could write a collection of poems about toenail fungus and I’d bask in them。 I’m pretty steadfast in not believing in the concept of “genius，” generally。 But then I read something like this and oop， there goes my weary little conception of creative work。Pairs well with: Ocean Vuong is also a hell of a podcast guest， so I endorse just searching his name and going to town。 His voice has this uniquely vulnerable timbre， like the stubborn itch in your throat before your brain writes a note to your tear ducts。 A 。。。more
aq hanna
，
my biggest flex is that i saw this man in person and we made eye contact
Jake
，
This was everything and so much more。 It broke me and put me back together again。
Mina ☾
，
Just a reminder: Liking or not a poetry book diverses from person to person because poetry is something personal！ 2，5 stars
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