‘My Sleepless War’ is a collection of poetry by Solange Strauss. Born in Windhoek and raised in Keetmanshoop, Strauss is a 31-year-old single mother to a five-year-old named Riley.
She has been writing poetry since she was 16. “The idea of publishing was a long-awaited dream that eventually came true. Merely the sight of a blank page and bold pen inspires me to write. It’s an instant reaction,” Strauss said.
The cover and layout, done by Wordweaver Publishing, is sleek and creates an ominousness which ties in well with the title of the collection. By the time you’ve read a few pages, however, one quickly tires of the font in which the quotes are written, and it becomes more of a schlep than a joy to keep reading them.
Another oddity in the book is the fact that Strauss chose to use quotation marks around all of the quotes, which creates the impression that she’s quoting someone, when in actual fact, she’s quoting herself.
Written mostly in a nursery rhyme-esque rhyming pattern, the poems are dark and point towards a heavy sadness, but often fail to move the reader to anything more than depression.
Lines such as “over the telephone I can smell the tone of fear on your breath” create an air of pseudo-complexity which leaves the reader confused and truthfully, rather empty.
It is in poems about her son that Strauss’s story begins to shine through. ‘O’ Perfect One’ in particular brings a much-needed reprieve from all of the dark, depressing and dismal that Strauss’s work seems to be preoccupied with.
On the collection, Strauss had the following to say: “It’s not easy for me to put myself out there through this book as most of my work is based on actual events and life experiences.
“I love writing, it’s such a sensation. Something happens to me when I write. I become this different being. An unorthodox concoction of word after word. Each of my poems tell a tale of their own,” she said.
What does impress is that ‘My Sleepless War’ consists of a whopping 27 poems and a total of 84 one to seven line quotes, making it of more than reasonable length.
Strauss, who is currently working on her second collection, said that she hopes that it will be as much as a success as the first.
While I cannot comment on how well the collection has done so far, Strauss would do well to break free from the restricting and somewhat suffocating rhyme scheme she appears to hold so dear and allow her poetry a life of its own. Clearly a woman with stories to tell, perhaps poetry will be a stepping stone for Strauss to greater things.
– You can find Solange Strauss on Facebook or email her at solangerm.strauss@gmail.com if you’re interested in purchasing ‘My Sleepless War’.
