I Wrote This for You Book Review

Read It! Read It Now!!!!

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Hi everyone, Pod here. If you are anything like me then you are always looking for new and interesting poetry to read. It helps my own writing evolve, it gives me new ideas, it stimulates my imagination, and in general it’s just damn good fun. I was wandering around a used book store when I discovered a poetry collection that immediately caught my attention. The cover was black and the only words on it were: “I wrote this for you” written in all lower case. There was no author listed and the only other hint at what the book might be about was the pen name “pleasefindthis” at the top of each page. It could be that some of you have already discovered this book. If that is the case then you have my permission to stop reading this article immediately. However, if this book does not sound familiar to you, and if – like me – the mystery of it is enticing to you, then please read on. 

My initial curiosity turned to rapture when I began delving into the collection. I spent the next three hours oblivious to the outside world. If my nose had been crammed any further into that book, the binding would have torn. I did not stop reading until I had finished the entire collection, front to back. When I was finished my eyes felt strange and my heart was racing. I felt confused, invigorated, inspired, depressed, elated and pretty much every other emotion they have a name for and a good many that they do not. In short: it touched me. In the good “I feel more human and connected to myself and others” way, not the “show us on the doll where uncle Jerry touched you” sort of way. Only once in my life have I ever found another writer who more deeply and fully understood what it means to be human with all its terrifying complexities, contradictions, repetitions and paradoxes … paradoxi? Peradoxees? Ah hell. Who cares. Anyway, that other writer was William Shakespeare and if you knew anything about me you would know I do not make that comparison lightly. Though just as insightful as Shakespeare, the author of I Wrote This for You could not have a more different style. Pleasefindthis has a terse yet elegant voice, never saying more than needs to be said. Many of his poems are no longer than a few words. The emptiness and incompleteness of his poems leaves the gaps to be filled in by the reader. This is done with such skill and carefulness though, that each reader feels as if their own interpretation is the only possible interpretation. This universal connection combined with the intensely personal tone of the writing and the name of the collection itself makes each reader feel as if the author (who’s real named turned out to be Iain S. Thomas) really did write it just for them. At the same time, the reader it constantly aware that this collection is very definitely intended for a single specific reader. The author leaves no doubt that the “you” in I Wrote This for You is an actually person. This gives the reader a slight sense of eavesdropping on something beautiful, broken, and intensely personal. 

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The individual poems in I Wrote This for You are extremely digestible. They are short and accessible. Rarely is there anything cryptic or esoteric found within the collection. Because of this the poems can be read through at a quick pace. Sometimes there will be several less powerful poems in a row, luring you into a false sense of security. Then suddenly, like a punch to the stomach, a poem will come along that will take your breath away with no intention of ever giving it back. 

Though the poetry is obviously the most important topic, I would be remiss if I did not mention the multimedia aspect of I Wrote This for you. Each and every poem is paired with a photograph (taken by Jon Ellis). No explanation is given as to the connection between the individual poem and its corresponding photo. Some are photos have a rather obvious connection, depicting the main subject of the poem. Others are more mysterious and require some interpretation. The photos serve as a counterpoint to the poetry that is interesting but ultimately unnecessary.  By that I only mean that the poems stand independently and can be read without paying much attention to the photos. Either way, I Wrote This for You is a wonderful, powerful, sad, oddly hopeful, and undeniably wise.  

I cannot stress enough how strongly I recommend this collection. It has been rereleased several times with slightly different names and updated content. It sometimes goes by the name I Wrote This for You, Sometimes by the name I Wrote This for You, Just the Words, and sometimes by the name I Wrote this for you and Only You. Look for it next time you find yourself in a bookstore, you won’t be sorry you did. So enjoy, and as always, be brave, be sincere, and have fun! 

Read more work by Padraic on Floodmark.