The Chaos of Longing Paperback – May 31, 2016

A young poet comes of age, and reaches a level of self-awareness and maturity in exploring themes of love, longing and at times the yearning of unrequited romance, in “the chaos of longing”. This is an intense beautifully written volume of poetry by K.Y. Robinson. Ms. Robinson holds a B.A. in journalism and a M.A. in history from Texas Southern University and is based in Houston, Texas.In her introductory poem: “1.7.93”- Ms. Robinson describes a “cocoa brown” hunchback teen, who “swallowed poetry” in those days, without considering heaven or hell. A tragic event happened to her around this time, which she detailed in this poem. This event undoubtedly colored and affected her life in unexpected ways. This was the only concrete biographical poem in the book-- in addition to “deferred” where her mother and father’s attitudes were mentioned, her father turning to drink, also “faada” and “mother’s nature” were briefly added. The theme of mental illness which influenced Ms. Robinson’s life are explored in: “magic” - “faithless” – “manic depression” - “stigma and shame”.The next part is “longing”: the titles of the poems are quite revelatory and erotic. Opening with the poem “melanin” love at first sight and the dreams that follow, easing into “naked thoughts” of desire to be a one and only. The explanatory nature of “fellatio” – “electric bodies” – “beautiful stranger” – the poem “uncensored” unfolds on the page: “thrust in your eyes/against my pages/repent with me/ in unison/until you surrender/to loves doctrine”. The writer emerges with “the grace of a pen” and the splendor of (unrecognized) words in “muse”-- also the composition of love in “poetry” and “poetry ii”.The poems are more reflective with the thrill and satisfaction of a romantic connection. There remains the slight of uncertainty regarding the progression of a serious commitment-- in “smitten” – “path” – “entrails” –“the good guy” – “one wish” – “tone deaf” – “nocturnal melody”. With “chaos” the poems related to unavailable men, “resentment” – “shameless” – “when you met Laura” – “tunnel vision” - “in another life” – in “alchemy” it become known that only the dark side of his leaded heart was felt, as it was with someone else. With the final theme of “epiphany” there was a simple poetic wisdom in learning from mistakes, with the journey of “self -love ii” also “the galaxy is yours” that celebrated the wonder of life. ~ Special thanks to the author via Amazon for the direct digital copy for the purpose of review.

You can’t hear me but I’m screaming because YOU ALL NEED TO PURCHASE THIS COLLECTION OF POEMS!!! So so so good!! So freaking amazing and inspiring and just reading her poetry and knowing what she has been through, the way she writes is fantastic.K.Y. Robinson has divided her poems into sections titled Inception, Longing, Chaos, and Epiphany. And it’s told almost like a story where she talks about her trauma as a child, how loving another was effected because of that trauma. She also talks about heartbreak, toxicity, healing, and self love.The author takes us through her growing experience with these poems. I literally cried with some of these and after reading her first two poems, I was sucked in and knew I was going to relate in such a deep way. After reading the poems, I saw how closely related it is to my own poetry book.I felt relieved in a way to know that my experiences weren’t just my own and that someone else had related to them in her own way.K.Y. Robinson is a WoC (women of color) and she even mentions her roots in some of the poems which was so raw and excuse me but so effing beautiful. It was empowering and I feel like we need more of that in the book community, in poetry, in all aspects of life. Women speaking of their roots. She talks about herself unapologetically and I applaud her for that.Yes, some of these poems are sad and full of so much deep emotion. However, there’s a message and there’s positivity in the end.

I can't find adequate words to describe how I feel after I finished this book. But of course, I'll try! This collection was very moving. It started a little slow but I appreciated the build up; the wind-up from "inception" to "epiphany." I loved the metaphor in that. Our lives start out somewhat slowly in the beginning, and something, or someone, pushes us into this path of longing, and brings chaos into our world, and before we know it, we are lost in our own creation, our own madness, our own lives that we don't recognize who we are....until we've reached an "a-ha" moment; the epiphany that we own our life.I had several favorites in this collection. I had several that made me tear up and push aside; triggering and haunting as they were. Several more poems that I couldn't believe simple words strung together would invoke such passion from the author, that as the reader, I'm sure I blushed several times.Beautiful read for those who want to understand why there is this chaos (in) longing.

I need more! K.Y. Robinson has crafted a gorgeous, emotional, deeply personal collection of poetry that will stick with me for a very long time.This collection is divided into four parts (Inception, Longing, Chaos, Epiphany) and it read like a journey from childhood to now, from pain and being lost (and the repercussions of that) to self-love. I have rarely said that a book "punched me in the feels," but this one did. That's the best way I can concisely describe how this book made me feel. But, it was also the balm that soothed the pain, in the end.This book was so beautiful and inspiring, and I feel like I read it at exactly the right time. I've already been recommending it to people, and I'm sure I'll continue to do so. (Consider this me recommending it to you if you're considering reading it!)

Very sad, but relatable all at the same time. It is truly a remarkable book for it allows me to reminisce on my past love life where my feelings took control of my emotions and actions for someone that I fell hard for. It's tough to read this book without crying because her words are so powerful when she talks about her relationship. If anyone is waiting for someone to love them back, you should definitely read this because it helps you realize what you really deserve. Also, I received this book, and it was not used at all. It looked brand new as if I bought it in Barnes and Noble! Thank you!

This collection of poetry isn't for the faint hearted by any means. This debut collection is honest and bravely written. K.Y. Robinson offer readers a very personal collection of poems that focuses on many aspects of her life and personal journey to get where she is today. Topics covered include colour, sex, romance and mental health. Reading the poems you can feel the rawness of the words. You get a real sense of the authors life and the issues that have faced her. The poems are compelling to read. They often feel like you are reading a diary which captures the authors state of mind rather than significant events. That said some events are detailed in the collection. This collection of poems is definitely very powerful and not always pleasurable to read. Not all poems are light and fluffy of course. This is a first book and a brilliant one at that. So many stand out pieces to choose from. Personally this book made me question myself. It was hard to put down. Yes some poems were tragic but these poems seem to also be very cathartic. This is a very strong offering and most definitely one that deserves many plaudits. The poems do tell a story and this is quite moving. The look of the poems is fresh and simple. No fuss here just poems. If you are easily offended steer clear of this book buy if you want to learn about the realities of life keep reading.

I don't think you know the chaos of longing until it's written out to you in paperback. It is clear and punching and heavy and there are lines I read that engrave deep into my heart. I am not by any means an English expert and nor am I a poetry expert; I have read very little poetry to be precise. But I think I stumbled upon something I didn't know what I was looking for. That, I guess, was that my feelings were valid and real, and that if there was a talented writer out there who'd happened across these feelings - so personal - and managed to put pen to paper because of them, that I would come up the other side, and survive it. I hope I do. I guess these words of K. Y. Robinson's give me hope I do too. Thank you for a read that I devoured on Kindle then immediately ordered the paperback. My only greatest wish now is that I could be as talented as to do something similar to K.Y. Robinson myself- but I am not- so instead I am grateful that perhaps I could direct someone to this as an explanation of my sombre heart and hope they understand.

Content Warnings: difficult parental relationship, trauma, body objectification, sexual harassment, sexual assault, manic depression, graphic depiction of sexual assault, abusive relationships, intimacy, suicidal ideation, racism, sexismThe Chaos of Longing is split into four sections: inception, longing, chaos, and epiphany. The structure of the collection is beautiful, it follows the path from difficult beginnings, a turbulent middle, and to a hopeful future. I connected strongly to Robinson’s words, even though the majority of the poems were highly personal and undoubtedly speaking from experience.

such a beautiful, thought provoking collection.K.Y Robinson deserves all the success she has received for this wonderful book. She is such a talented word weaver; a truly wonderful poet. (April Green)

One of the greatest, most unappreciated / acknowledged modern poets of our time. Absolutely incredible book and poetry. Will definitely be looking out for more of her work.