REVIEW: 'Broken Powder' by Chelsea Musenge

I’ve taken way longer than I should’ve, but I’ve finally read Broken Powder, by Chelsea Musenge, in its entirety. Okay, by now it's been even longer, but you get it. Right off the bat, I’ve established that I really should read more poetry.

Brief overview: the book is in two main parts; Part One: What Love Shouldn’t Feel Like, and Part Two: How to Contour Your Soul. I will talk about them in that order, and conclude more comprehensively. Also, every time I mention 'Chelsea', I'm referring to the author's self-named character in the book.

So, let’s get into it, shall we?

Part One: What Love Shouldn't Feel Like

Part one kicks off with a conversation, between Chelsea and Anna, who seems to be Chelsea’s alter-ego. This had me really appreciating this work by the second sentence because I knew I was in for a riverboat journey guided by the author’s aggressively abstract muse. (Side track incoming) One of the keys to a great movie is to make the audience work for their meal. Not to be overdone, of course (I’ll address this again a little later). Okay, back to that opening conversation. Early in the conversation, Chelsea asks a question: “Anna, are you listening?”. Anna’s response to this question fits so perfectly with the… sort of... context, that this book subtly gives off. She responds: “Do I have a choice?”. This is perfect, because, from my surface knowledge of the art of conversation (don’t know if that’s a thing. Winged it), the person asking the questions is in charge of that conversation. Anyway, moving on; the first actual poem is also some sort of introductory piece; short, and doesn’t hesitate to jump to the dark side, to try and find some light in it. This is a recurring theme throughout the whole part of the book, which does have more pieces of dialogue between Chelsea and Anna, and after each one, there seems to be a lift in Chelsea’s spirit; as if she’s given up on digging in the darkness and gone to find light where it’s abundant (in Obi-Wan’s chest). Although, sometimes the theme turns into extremely abstract attempts to conjure up and deliver the message, and as general criticism: being a more ‘literal’ thinker, the layers of abstraction are a bit too thick for me, sometimes. Thick enough to cause wrinkles on my forehead as I read. The pain behind some of the words is felt, but some of the words beckon, they beckon to be put to rest. But... who am I to tell Poetry what to do? Although, perhaps this is the point, maybe this is just how love shouldn’t feel: abstract and omnidirectional. But that’s just how I feel. Regarding my favourite moments in this part, I’d have to say all the conversations, and that somewhat exclusive piece titled To The Guy Who Sells Headsets At The Bottom Of The Stairs Near That Eating Place. The two share the same close-to-home feeling. The second one especially because I’m all about treating others with some humanity (be nice to each other. It won’t kill you!). I mean, who is this guy? Which eating place? Could this be on Cairo Road? Does he sell Power Banks too? We’ll never know, and that’s the best part!

Part Two: How To Contour Your Soul

This is where Chelsea really opens up to us. It's a lot more 'literal' and very comfortable to digest, for the not-so-poetic reader. The author really channels her inner KDB in this part; always looking to nail that killer pass, and boy does she get them into the box. Starting from the title, How To Contour Your Soul is just as the title suggests it is: a guide to moulding ourselves to become the best people we can be to ourselves. It does this pretty elegantly, I must say. With pieces like Thinner, 70, and my personal favourite: Steady (I’ll get back to this one in a bit). The author begins to address 'louder' topics, in this part. Thinner shines a light on the constant pressure that society puts on us (or more contextually: on females) to be the right weight and shape. A subtle religious aspect comes out stronger here as well. Even the conversations with Anna have a sunnier appeal. Speaking of Anna, she gets to stretch her legs with not one, but two beautiful letters. Definitely on the list of  my favourite moments. Getting back to Steady, this piece resonates with me solely because I’ve experienced what it talks about, first hand. I’m very sure there are some of you reading this right now, who’ve read the book and are now getting a thick shot of the feels in your veins. In the words of Ryan O’Neal; we’ll be just fine.

The More Comprehensive Part I Promised

Broken Powder is probably just one of several books of its kind that Chelsea Musenge will grace us with, it’s clear that she has a lot to say. Maybe when she does publish more, they’ll have a more literal approach to the delivery system, but that really is just me. Although, it’s safe to say that you need to have certain mindset to wholesomely understand and grasp the full extent of the weight of this book (or just really be into poetry LMAO). It’s like a wide canvas, with some sections recklessly, but beautifully, painted with hands dipped in paint, and others carefully brushed with the assistance of a self-aware brush. That's Anna. The self-aware brush is Anna. Yeah, I can be poetic too. Whatever part of this canvas you’re currently looking at, you can be sure that you’re looking at what could possibly be someone’s muse. Above all, it's a great book. Do I like it? Yes. Do I recommend you buy it? Of course.

Post Script: What I really wanted to do was talk about several (or just some) of the poems in the book individually, but as I mentioned in my introductory post: school is mad right now. Send help. So the post has ended up being a little surface-level and way shorter than I intended for it to be. Bare with me.

PSA About my Rating Method: I have invented a unit of measurement (because we don't have enough of them already). I call it the 'oco' (oh-ko), denoted: 'oCo', and from now on, I will use it to rate what I review (and maybe, sometimes, what I don't). The oCo scale runs from 0 to 27. Those of you that know me well enough know the answer to the question 'why 27?'. For those that do not: 27 is the title of my favourite song by Fall Out Boy, which is my favourite band. 

Overall Rating: I'm giving Broken Powder a strong 18 oCos, largely for its originality, as well as its bold delivery.

Disclaimer: I'll go ahead and admit it; I am not the most poetry savvy individual on Earth. However, I most certainly love and appreciate all forms of writing (and Art). It is from this love and appreciation that I drew nearly everything above this disclaimer. Neat, huh?

Thank you for reading, you're a good sport.

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