Poetry comes in all shapes and sizes: there's Robert Frost's rhymes, Sylvia Plath's chaotic emotional release, and the bizarre and quirky material you expect from Emily Dickinson and e.e. cummings. For some poets, writing is a means of communicating to the masses, of selling one's soul to a publisher; for others, the writing process is a cathartic release directed at no one, speaking for everyone.

Raven Oak's Fading is, first and foremost, an immense outpouring of emotion- the written release of a young woman, not but one year my senior, who has clearly lived a troubled life. In her About The Author, Raven's first line about herself is stunning- "I am nothing special," she says. It is this self-depreciation that leads one to want to hug Raven, and tell her that she is, indeed, far more than nothing: she is a talented and accomplished musician and, now, poet.

An abuse survivor herself, Raven's poems speak of hurt and anguish, pain neverending and a life that, sometimes, barely seems worth living.

"You hurt me worse than anyone before.
Mostly because I loved you more.
I watch you leave as the tears fall.
As my body trembles, I give up all.
I sacrifice everything I have for you.
Can't turn around and start life anew.
My life is yours, I love for you.
You ended it, so nothing left to do
But
Die."

The above quoted piece, "My Life For You," is haunting and disturbing, speaking volumes to anyone who's loved and been abandoned. Largely, it is characteristic of the pain expressed in Raven's work. Many of her pieces lack the solid rhyme and meter of the above, but all share the common thread of pain.

In "Needs," Raven begs:

"I need to cry in the sunshine
for once in my life.
And for once have something hinting
at a glimmer of positive emotion."

The reader feels for the writer, and judges the work purely on its emotional merit- not its technical written abilities or potential mass appeal. While this writer generally seeks a poem with flow and rhyme (think "The Road Not Taken"), I find myself engrossed in Raven's work, wondering how much courage it must take to share such blatant emotions; to, for all basic purposes, wear your soul on the pages of a 165-page book.

$8 ($1 of which goes to RAINN) gets you a look into our world through the eyes of this poet, where religion and the people around us are often false, and pain is an everyday occurance. In pieces like "Rats," Raven discusses hedonistic ways, while she takes on the church in "St. Hypocrisy" and "Supposed". When she mocks, "I gave J.C. a blow," Catholics blush; when she compares men to rats, women giggle. Her words are sarcastic, biting, and honest- always honest.

While it's apparent that any reader looking for a simple, fast read should steer clear, it's obvious that Raven's words speak volumes and inspire empathy in those of us who take the gentle time to read and listen. A beautiful poet with a practiced pen, Raven is certainly better than "nothing special"- she's something special, indeed.

www.RavenOak.net