Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand (No.2)

On the back of Rapture, it says this is a poetry anthology that “doesn’t just sit on the page, but leaps from it”. I was sceptical, but after finishing, I now agree.

This anthology is filled with powerful poems. In the introduction it says “these poems sing, rage, celebrate and reflect the world we exist in”. I definitely agree as the collection of poems alternatively empower, rejoice, or make you want to tear the world down. From feminist anthem ‘Ruined Women’ - “we are ruined women and we are here to ruin you/we’ve always been here/the witches you burned because you knew we were magic” – to Rena, about Māori and the environment - “As it happened/there was a culture clash…/the classic one…/Money versus Mana!”. Whatever the cause - women or LBGTQ+ empowerment, colonisation, the environment, grief, love or anger – you will find a poem that leaps off the page and speaks to you.

It’s a collection of performance poetry, but the works translate really well to the page, while keeping its confrontational and defiant nature. The authors’ voices and their emotions are strong and come through very clearly. Each poem feels distinct and different even when dealing with similar themes, and I really enjoyed the amount of diversity represented in this collection. From ‘red’ - “chinese new year/firecrackers and red envelopes/a flag with yellow stars/weddings and the family unit” to ‘Real Fake White Dirt’ - “we stand on real fake grass/and eat real fake butter/they lodge real fake claims/and aim real fake guns at the universe”. No two poems are the same, which made this collection very interesting and enjoyable to read.

While the individual poems in Rapture were spectacular, I had some problems with the way the book was organised. It categorised the poems into three sections: Burn it down, Float, and Re-Earth your roots. While poems in the first section mostly felt like they shared a central thread, poems in the second and third section didn’t. This made me unsure about what the categories were intending to do. Also, in general I felt a disconnect going from one poem to the next. It was hard to get a flow while reading them, which diluted the impact of the poems.

Overall, Rapture is a collection of amazing poems that could have been organised slightly better. I rarely read poetry but I really enjoyed reading this collection. Some of the poems will definitely stick in my mind for a while. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys poetry or wants to start reading some, as it is both powerful and easy to understand.

- Beth is14 and lives in Dunedin.