Bluer Than Blue: Prose and Poetry by Jessa Erandio and Lorena Gaveria is a breath of fresh air in a sea of poetry books. First of all, the unassuming volume contains bits of prose which explains to the reader how the authors’ heartbreaks began, ended, and is still happening. The poems were well written and direct. Best of all, it says what the reader needs to know in its blurb: “...if it is not meant, a heart will stay bluer than blue…”.
The blurb declares the authors’ awareness that their heartbreaks happened because their relationships were not meant to be. The authors do not search for ways to mend their relationships because they know that these are already lost causes. Rather than hoping that things could still go back to the way they were, they process their heartbreaks in poems and paragraphs. As I read their works, I realized that there was power in simply not accepting the goodbyes that transpired in the past. However, it is also possible that while they were unacceptable, it is still possible to embrace lives without the people that we are not meant to love. This can begin by processing the heartbreaks that broke us, without allowing them to damage us completely. And while it is impossible to explain these heartbreaks through empirical means, it is possible to flesh out the details of these lost loves through prose and poetry. This was successfully done by the authors, and the conversations continue through their social media pages.
Bluer Than Blue: Prose and Poetry is not a tragedy. It is an ode to unacceptable goodbyes, wherein its authors did not allow themselves to be victimized by their own heartbreaks. Instead, they celebrated them through literary works which they have compiled in this book. I highly recommend this because local poetry books that are well written should serve as inspiration to people of all pages. Heartbreak can be turned into a superpower, if only it can be tapped to be used as material for great literary pieces.
Bluer Than Blue: Prose and Poetry will soon be available on the Central Books website.