I’ll be the first to admit that usually I run screaming from poetry. Poetry to me has never been exciting and is associated with sappy love songs and stories, two things that I loathe.
However, author Kristine Ong Muslim has made me see poetry in a different light. The poems she includes in the Grim Series are dark, twisted, and some of them are downright creepy. What attracted me to these poems, besides the fact they’re horror, was the unique imagery the author uses in her writing. If horror can be a beautiful thing, then many of the poems in Grim Series are just that: beautiful.
Before writing this review, I tried to pick my favorite poems from this collection, but found I was faced with a difficult decision. “Beadwork” is a touching poem in a macabre sort of way and “Sack of Heads” was one of the more spooky poems. “Cut” and “Family Secrets” were two others I enjoyed immensely.
The reader is immediately drawn into these poems by lines like:
“At the corner of my tiny black room sat little teddy. His fur was matted with blood. His brown plastic left eye was shattered. I embraced him, but he would not reciprocate.”
“Our brother has been dead for a month now, taking all his secrets with him. I know he lied to us about our family and why we remain locked up inside this cold dark house with the blind servants.”
Words such as these make you want to delve deeper into the poem to find out what’s going on. I’ve read many full-length horror novels that don’t evoke the same kind of emotion or curiosity as these poems.
Kudos to Kristine Ong Muslim for opening my eyes to poetry and showing me how close-minded I have been. Even if you’re not a fan of the horror genre, these poems have the power to turn you into one.
Horror Reviews for You 