LaDonnaQ's Book Journey
Edited
You Better Be Lightning
Andrea Gibson
Every Time I Ever Said I Want to Die (32%)
This is the most meaningful poem in the collection, to me. I have some strong personal memories connected to it. I cannot type much without getting emotional about it, so straight into the discussion questions we go:
- Why are specific stanzas indented? What topics do they discuss that differ from the rest of the poem? What do you think of this structure?
- How does Gibson's framing of death as infinity, as opposed to death as the ultimate end, change the tone of this poem?
- What does it mean to be a "grief astronomer"?
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Aug 03, 2026
Aug 03, 2026
Andrea Gibson
A book of poetry with the potential to change your DNA, add that missing something-something about love that you cannot quite pinpoint or name, and then both grieve and celebrate what you’ve missed and what is still to come.
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© 2025 Pagebound
LaDonnaQ commented...
13w
I think of how many times I say this title to myself, in times of prolonged pain, but how I never say it to anyone else, and this poem gives me the answer why:
There is space for being wrong. There is grace for having these feelings. There is more in the poem that lets me know that if I did tell someone what I felt when I was feeling it, I would be told that I was loved.