Kamikaze Butterflies: A Collection of Poetry By AJ Mullican
Butterflies are wonderfully elusive. Beginning their lives as caterpillars, butterflies wrap themselves in cocoons that protect and shield them from the cruelties and judgments of a heartless and often unforgiving world. When they are ready, they shed former inhibitions and soar into the welcoming arms of a sky ready to embrace them.
Kamikaze Butterflies: A Collection of Poetry by AJ Mullican seems to beautifully reflect on the caterpillar and butterfly scenario. Mullican has a stunning ability for revealing vulnerability in her verse. For example, in her poem Insecure when she writes,”Deep down in my core lies a scared little rabbit frightened of what others think,” the reader can feel the fear and uncertainty.
While there’s an ironic poignancy in the raw, honest emotions Mullican portrays as she expresses the pain of loneliness and the hopelessness arising in solitude, her words also skillfully connect countless faces who struggle through these feelings. Her quiet, poetic strength speak to her own courage and resiliency.
Mullican examines the world around her and questions things in the universe in a mellifluous way. A particularly marvelous poem with mystical undertones is Believe. In addition, Mullican’s poetry analyzes such things as nature, mankind, longing, Thanksgiving and hope.
Mullican’s words resonate and refuse to be silent. Poetry is pure. Poetry is honest. Poetry is born deep within the core of our being, that place we seek to keep hidden from outside commentary. Yet, poetry is that butterfly that doesn’t want to live life in a cocoon.
This book is a gift for poetry lovers.
For those of us who struggle with the depression, Mullican’s poetry is like a mirror held up to your soul. As you read these poems, you will be awestruck at how perceptive Mullican is in revealing a personal narrative that so many share and are unable to voice. As she writes in her poem Wander, “…and ripples of wonder of who I might be. The waters are muddy. Obscuring the possibilities of tomorrow…”
Sometimes, it is hard to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow when pain and depression obscure your view. Sometimes, it is hard to soar free like a butterfly.
But, thankfully, the sky is always waiting to welcome you.