Sex And Heartbreak

Bruce Von Stiers

Alexis Rhone Fancher is a photographer, editor and poet. Quite some time ago Alexis sent me a volume of poetry to read and review. I finally got a chance to dust off the poetry volume and read it. Interesting, enticing reading. And definitely not for the prudish reader of poetry.

The title for the volume is How I Lost My Virginity To Michael Cohen and Other Heart-stab Poems. It has 89 pages with text and pictures. It was published by Sybaritic Press.

The title poem is the first entry in the volume. It is basically a list of the steps that happened the night the author lost her virginity. The last sentence leaves several things open to interpretation.

Right away you can tell that this isn't going to be a typical volume of poetry. That is more than evident with the second poem, aptly titled This Is Not A Poem.

There is a poem about exploring her sexuality at 13, while listening to Bob Dylan, with a Catholic girl who all of a sudden re-discovers her Christianity.

Not one to just skip across gender boundaries, Alexis also writes poetry about having sex with people of different ethnic background.

Then there is a short but damning poem about future trophy wives called The Best Blondes in L.A. A bit later there's another damning short poem called The Happiest Men in L.A.

Under Water delves into the dark side of wanting a relationship when all the other person wanted was instant gratification.

Interspersed with the poems are pictures that relate to them.

This volume of poetry is basically all about sex. Having sex, giving yourself away with a lot of regret and sometimes with no regret. The poems are very explicit, giving the reader a vivid depiction of the actions of the author. From lesbian sex, to hook-ups, to cheating and being cheated on, Alexis provides the reader with a wide variety of experiences. Autobiographical, or simply imagined, the poems in this volume are a mixture of overt sexuality and angst.

How I Lost My Virginity To Michael Cohen is definitely not for the stuffed shirt, prim and proper poetry reader. It roils in hot and steamy sex, while letting the reader peek behind the curtain at the bruised and broken psyche that can accompany such actions.

How I Lost My Virginity To Michael Cohen and Other Heart-stab Poems can be found at amazon.com and other online stores.

You can learn more about this volume of poetry, and Alexis' latest work on her official site at http://www.alexisrhonefancher.com/

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© 2016 Bruce E Von Stiers