Forthcoming from Milk & Cake Press, the title, Bird, Bone, Blood is pleasurable because of its alliteration. This author is talented in craft and her work deserves attention. She achieves what I wish I could do in my own poetry. Her ability to create experiences that reflect moral decision-making is inspiring. In “First Smoke”, Simon writes “I am still inside the house, where no one can hear // me screaming at the top of my lungs”. These lines made me feel seen.
Simon recreates the experience of recognition in “Scars” writing:

A Palestinian toddler, just about my baby’s age, missing most of her limbs
[…]I only thought ‘she is awake’
[…]As my burned baby slept in my arms, like a retina-burned after image

This is reality, babies are suffering in Palestine while our own children gain minor cuts and bruises because we are privileged with safety. Reflections of outrage can be discovered in “On My Honeymoon in August, Sturgeon Bay, Door County, WI” with:

[…]the sound of wave against sand
[…]Serene. Almost forgetting
that there are still countries
in which we would be murdered for this moment

These lines capture our privilege in a subtle way, and remind us beauty should not be taken for granted.
I learned a lot about nature and animals, such as the pistol shrimp in “Shrimp and Roosters” which is two centimeters, and creates a sonic boom. This ability is used metaphorically to describe someone that is too much in the eyes of others. This is such a relatable comparison for people that don’t fit norms! The intentional use of epigraphs, for example, in the poem “Eudaemonia” defines the title and gives insight into the poem.
Simon expresses frustration, guilt, and grief through experiences of the “you” and the “I” that make hearts ache. I wanted to reach out to the words, to hug the characters, and yell out that everything would be okay even if it’s not. These uncomfortable feelings that Simon produces can be felt in “The Rock” when Simon writes:

[…]Tracey’s dad
began raping her when she was twelve
[…]And by some CPS sleight of hand, Tracey no longer lived down the road.
Lesson learned; I stayed silent as a boulder.

These lines remind us of reality. Silence is learned from gaining opposite results from good intentions, a reminder that life is not always positive.
In Bird, Blood, Bone Simon reflects on morality-building experiences that shape who we become. Simon makes us think. She reminds us to seek answers in all experiences, even the ones we can’t fathom.

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