When the Only Light Is Fire by Saeed Jones

When the Only Light Is Fire Reviews

• 
  Paris (parisperusing)

  Saeed Jones’ debut chapbook of poetry, WHEN THE ONLY LIGHT IS FIRE, is not just a riot of the black man — but of the gay black boy caged inside him. I found sanctum in so many of these poems, among them: “Kudzu,” a hankering verse about how nothing breaks the heart like what it cannot have; “Nocturne,” in which death flexes its ubiquitous pull on the living; “Daedalus, After Icarus,” a fable of a grief-stricken father whose son dies of his own invention; and “Boy at Edge of Woods,” where boys discover fellatio as houses go up in flames. I bought this book a few days ago, and finally sat down and drank these poems whole this afternoon. I was so nourished by the poetic calm by which Jones sang the psalms of his people whilst bridging the gulf between blackness and gayness.
  
  In “Terrible Boy,” the speaker says: “I turned the family portrait face down/ when he was on me … broke a mirror to slim/ my reflection’s waist.” It dawned on me then that I was re-reading a passage from my own youth, one I thought I’d discarded in memory. But once a boy turns for his first taste of that sweet sting, he forgets none of what transpires next: the shame permeating freshly laundered sheets; the panicked bang of a locked door; bodies knuckling under the warmth of rapture. It is a hot flash that brands us for the rest of our lives, a reminder of how far we’ve strayed, how doomed we are.
  
  Perhaps, had I read these poems earlier in life, I would not have felt so alone, so graceless and unwanted on this anxious planet. But how fortunate am I to have survived long enough to stumble upon this body of work. I can’t wait to get my next ration of Jones’ writing with his debut memoir, HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES, out this fall, as I know it’ll be nothing short of life-saving.
  
  If you liked my review, feel free to follow me
  @parisperusing on Instagram.
• 
  Tori Heroux

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  3.5 stars. This was a lovely debut chapbook, melding themes of queerness and Blackness to beautiful effect. I loved about half of these poems and found the rest so-so, and it was very short. I look forward to reading more from Jones. Wish I'd realized that these poems are about half of his collection Prelude to Bruise, as I'd have just read that.
• 
  Daniel

  Saeed Jones
  When the Only Light Is Fire
  Sibling Rivalry Press
  44 pages
  7.6
• 
  Red Haircrow

  I'd first come across the collection in search of a purchase to better understand a press, and the description really stood out for me. Although I was born in Germany and live in Berlin now, many of my formulative years were spend in the southern U.S. in the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Louisana, and these are some of the places the poet grew up.
  
  "Saeed Jones walks on the periphery of the South, those places on the outskirts of town, in bars after midnight, and on dangerous backroads where most people keep their heads down or look the other way...." How well I understood that description and recall many such places, such dangers!
  
  I wanted to read the author's impressions of those places and compare them to my own, my collection
  CORE is forthcoming. Sometimes they were agonizingly similar based on being from a minority population and with a sexuality publicly reviled yet privately practiced so that abuse can be common of those who are not allowed to have voices.
  
  Visceral, vivid, yet often using a minimum of words, this was difficult collection of poetry for me to read, as often the images created through the poet's words triggered my own memories of darkness, abuse, aloneness and pain. I found it to be outstanding, courageous and to be admired for the ability to share personal emotions and experiences.
  
  Originally posted on review/interview website:
  http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...
• 
  Kathleen

  Saeed Jones' mythology is of ruined small towns and their biblical ghosts, the humming bush and men at the edge of it, and a beautiful boy dancing through grief and lust in a dress of smoke. The lyricism and sex of these poems and their hot song, will prick your page turning fingers bloody.
• 
  Lee

  I read the entire thing through on my lunch hour, accidentally. It was just that urgent and visceral, goes directly into the vein without having to filter through the brain. I'll have to read through again for a more cerebral impression.
  
  Absolutely should be at the top of any list of must-read contemporary southern poets. The "Jasper" poems, my god...
• 
  •Paige Hope•

  After reading Saeed Jones’ memoir, “How We Fight For Our Lives,” I found it just wasn’t enough. His talent with self expression somehow embeds beautiful treasures into monotony and emotional turmoil. Lots of authors are capable of as much, but something about the way his light hits the heart is different. Jones writes unseen images into minds, while persuading them to reimagine forms of each one later on.
  
  “Last night, the ceiling above me ached with dance. Music dropped down the walls like rain in an old house. My eyes followed the couple’s steps from one corner to another......In my empty bed, I dreamed the record’s needle pointed into my back, spinning me into no one’s song.”
• 
  Briel

  A less painful read in context of the author's current life, but still hits pretty hard. A surprise as I thought I was reading a sci-fi short story collection and instead it's about being Black and gay in Texas. Some of the events referenced were big in my childhood and it was ... good.. to see them again.
• 
  Christian

  There are snippets this book trained me to search for in the words. The moments where the narrator's sense of self connect and grow. Though a little short, this is what a collected work of poems looks like, for me.
• 
  Luke Gorham

  Essentially a rough draft of Prelude to Bruise.
• 
  Nicole

  beautiful, sensuous poetry though many (most?) of these can also be found in Jones's full-length collection, Prelude to Bruise
• 
  Matthew Metzdorf

  jones has a good ear for language and writes some piercing pieces here. it's been a while since i've read prelude to bruise but i believe many appear in both volumes and have a strong impact in each.
• 
  Robin

  Intimate, intense poetry. Some of the best poetry I have read.
• 
  Linden

  3.5
• 
  Kiprop Kimutai

  YES!
• 
  Lisa Eirene

  Beautiful, shocking, insightful, makes you think about a lot of things
• 
  Oscreads

  This was so fire
• 
  Elly Winner

  A gorgeous, gorgeous poet. So many beautiful pieces here.
• 
  Telly

  Full of emotion and vivid storytelling, this is by far one of my favorite collections of poetry. I experienced everything from lust with Kudzu to painful grief with Jasper, 1998, I, II, and III. In fact, I tried to read these three poems to my partner and became too choked up to do so. The second actually brought me to tears. I'm not easily drawn to showing emotional responses in life, and for these poems to do this is a strong testament to their strength.
• 
  Jessica

  Very sensual, frequently ... sad(?), and sometimes horrifying -- thinking about his Jasper sequence, about the murder of James Boyd, Jr. It gave me chills.
  
  I'm only an occasional reader of poetry and sometimes unsure how the cadence should go, so was happy to find a few clips of the author reading his work online. Here's
  The Blue Dress in Mother's Closet.
• 
  April

  "Cinders drift in from a fire we can't see."
  
  "We're dry tinder. Water won't answer our questions anymore..."
  
  When the Only Light Is Fire is Saeed Jones' debut chapter book collection of poems. Much like his memoir, his writing style in his poems is honest, intense and filled with imagery that captures the readers attention from the start.
• 
  Joshua Gage

  This is a very deep and profound chapbook of poetry. Jones taps into the erotic as well as the political in this collection, exploring sexuality, race, southern politics, and more in these dense, lyrical poems. A very excellent collection.
• 
  Andrea Blancas

  Haunting. I'm still spinning. The opening line of "Meridian" reads: "Cinders drift in/from a fire we can't see." That fire leaves us burning for more. That fire is Saeed Jones.
• 
  Robert Vaughan

  A fantastic, sensual, dark emergence from this first book, and emerging talented poet. Brilliant use of captivating language and stirring imagery. I recommend this book!
• 
  Queerromani

  There are moments here when poetry is everything. The Jasper series is fantastic. Prelude to a Bruise with its repetition is both sexy and haunting.
• 
  h

  solid.
• 
  Rachel Simone

  Admittedly, I don't read a lot of poetry and often feel dumb while reading it. Saeed Jones' writing is visceral and vivid. I look forward to reading more from him!