Moonchild Poetry Chapbooks Review – These Celestial Bodies by Caitlin Gaudio
I wonder:
Will we always be stuck
In this endless orbit?
Never quite able to keep each other
Or keep ourselves apart
Both left with feelings
That will only cause us pain
– These Celestial Bodies, Caitlin Gaudio
Celestial Bodies by Caitlin Gaudio is a chapbook of epic proportions. Gaudio’s mixing of all things stellar and other-worldly lingered with me for days after initially reading her poetry. Each of Gaudio’s poems are crafted with a most stunning poetic language, in a way which leaves an equally brilliant imprint on the reader. Following the course of a romantic history, These Celestial Bodies finds a shimmering beauty in the often dark and disparaging nature of love.
What stuck out most prominently for me is Gaudio’s imagery. In particular, I was moved by her depiction of humanity through the description of eyes in There is a nebula in your irises, and the burning delicacy of lungs and breathing in I could make constellations out of the freckles on your shoulders. These lyrical and striking illustrations of everyday life are peppered with iridescent descriptions of celestial entities, proving that we all indeed possess ethereal qualities in our own right.
It’s almost scary
When you look at me
Like no one in the universe
Could ever be as lovelyTo be the sole focus of your attention
Would create a great temporal rift
In the universeWhen I look at you,
I swear my eyes must blaze like Altair
Because you are the place
Stars are born– There is a nebula in your irises, Caitlin Gaudio
Gaudio equally touches on the importance of the spaces both between us and within us. Poems such as I’m not ready to lose you and Did I leave my heart in a silver CRV? remind the reader of energies which circulate within the confines of our relationships, alongside the marks that others leave on our memories.
The poem Lux et veritas is one that I am sure I will remember for years to come. The intertwining of the celestial and humanity is a thread which neatly weaves together not only this poem, but These Celestial Bodies in its entirety. The collision of Connecticut and the ethereal leaves the reader feeling both nostalgic and unearthly; a feeling which the chapbook relishes.
If you are looking for an extra special piece of astronomy in your life, I recommend that you pick up These Celestial Bodies.
You can read Caitlin Gaudio’s chapbook, These Celestial Bodies, over at Moonchild Magazine for free. You can also print out and keep the chapbook as a PDF here. Finally, if you are able to, you are warmly invited to tip the author Caitlin Gaudio to offer her a little of the moon and stars.
