The journal aspect of Warrior Desire was a surprise. It shouldn't have been. Laura Di Franco always strives to make her books into an interactive experience. A book can't simply be read as a passive experience but the reader has to exercise all parts of themselves when reading them. In a way, it's like an art gallery. Some artworks are presented with minimal explanation; maybe not even a title. The art lover has to come up with all the context and meaning themselves. Other artworks spend paragraphs about how the piece was made and what it means to the artist. Either methods have good and bad points. Di Franco employs both in this book. Some poems have a lengthy description of her emotional state at the time and why that poem needed to come out. Other poems end simply with a question of the reader to suggest action on their part. The physical copy even has blank pages for the reader to fill in their own thoughts.
As a Aromantic-Asexual, the poems often feels like stepping forth into an unfamiliar country. They hold nothing back in their passion and sensuality. While some poems contain lengthy stanzas of lingering licks, most of the poems are melted ice cream. The words drip down the page; demanding attention one by one.
I trust I'm here
for a reason
but I'm tired
spent
bleeding
That quintain is from Di Franco's poem, "The Next Move". While the whole book contains poems to again and again, this is one of the most memorable. The raw emotions feel more naked and vulnerable than the more explicit verses.
Hopefully, there is an audiobook in the works. There was also some small disappointment in not finding cover artist, Jeanette MacDonald, inside as well. In the meantime, Warrior Desire; Love Poems to Inspire Your Fiercely Alive Whole Self by Laura Di Franco, the previous poem anthology journals and other books are all available at multiple locations online, including Amazon. For more information:
https://lauradifranco.com/
