Horrors Both Real and Imagined: The Rat King is a collection of dark poetry that sheds light on what society would rather ignore

 

 

The Rat King

Dark Poetry by Sumiko Saulson

DookyZines, 2022

ISBN-13: 979-8835153923

Ebook, 90 ppg.

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One thing a poet must do is bring to life what other people fail to see. And only a poet can put into the right words the civil injustices as well as the wrongs enacted against the marginalized communities. With The Rat King by Sumiko Saulson, readers will see just how well this can be done. Here is a collection of poetry from the perspective of one such person in one such marginalized community who is not afraid to speak up and bring to light the many kinds of negative actions inflicted upon them. Not only this, but this particular poet takes a stand against those who feel no qualms about being bigoted assholes, as well as speaking out against those who try to downplay their very identities.

 

There are the unreal horrors written about in this book, but also the real horrors. Real horrors of what BIPOC queer people endure under the current regime. One poem that shares this horror is “Mantra of the Oppressor.” It is strong and profound, echoing exactly what many BIPOC people, as well as those who are BIPOC queer, are currently going through. They are being told to be silent. To be quiet. Not to speak out against oppression. I liked the hashtag statement repeated in this poem, as though it is the speaker’s mantra in an attempt to try to stay calm and not lose their shit over what is happening and how it affects them.

 

The title poem “The Rat King” is not really so much about the actual Rat King of lore but a metaphorical Rat King that preys on the homeless/unhoused. I support helping the unhoused, so this poem made me angry over the prejudices and hatred spewed against those who are forced to live on the streets.

 

Another good poem in this book is “The Latency of Racism in Sunny California” which is on page 68. This poem stands out because it’s the reason why so many people are cutting off others who are acting racist. I know someone who ended a friendship with a person because he got fed up over this person’s constant use of the “n” word when referring to someone who is Black. We may have tolerated racism in the past but we cannot tolerate it anymore. And for a person who is Black and has to hear racist language that other people spew, it’s damging. As it says in the poem:

 

“Ignoring bigoted things you do

Is bad for my mental health

I am sorry you are so defensive

I didn't want to war

But your racist microaggressions

Are too consistent to ignore”

 

Plus, it says a lot about the people who DO tolerate racist language and behavior from others. You know, We CAN stand up against racism. We can end a conversation or leave a room or change the channel. Doing these things does not mean we are “sensitive” or a “snowflake.” It means that we won’t tolerate racism! Though the aggressor may not see it this way and just see our refusal to tolerate it as a sign of weakness, as the poem says here:

 

“If people don't go along with

Your racist bullshit

You tell us we have a thin skin

We have to suffocate on

All of your garbage

In an attempt to fit in”

 

But standing up against racism proves that we don’t agree that that sort of behavior or language is okay. It’s NOT okay. And we should not have to suffocate on it, either.

 

I really enjoyed reading all of the poems in this collection. They are strong, defiant, outspoken and powerful. There are many poems that bring to light topics and issues some people may not realize and that’s one of the remarkable qualities of these poems. They don’t just set right what was set wrong but they give a voice to what many people fail to see or understand. The poems in The Rat King say the things that others are not brave enough to say, making these poems a collection that will linger and make people think.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Remembering the Lost Warriors: Dance of Necromance is a poetry book remembering the dead and fighting for the living

 

 

Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead

Sumiko Saulson

Mocha Memoirs Press, 2026

ISBN-10: 1962353338

ISBN-13: ‎978-1962353335

Ebook, 72 ppg.

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For the people whose lives were cut short and wrongs have been done, writers take the time to honor them with words. Poets, too, use their craft to shed light on those we have lost as well as those whose cause must be kept alive. In the poetry collection Dance of Necromance: Poetry Book of the Dead by Sumiko Saulson, you will find poems that recognize them, remember them, and bring them to life within its pages. As ghosts, it is only fitting that they are included here in this book, a collection of poems about ghosts, haunted locations, and memories of lives lived.

 

There are poems in this book about those no longer among the living, such as a cat who once belonged to the author and a dancing Chihuahua named Coco (Cha-Cha). There is a poem about the late author Anne Rice as well, which I enjoyed reading.

 

But more importantly, there are poems that remember those in the LGBTQ community who are also no longer among the living, such as Matthew Shepard and Sylvia Rivera. Some are named and others are not in these poems; they are all remembered collectively. You will find them in various poems, either by mention or in entire poems dedicated to their memory, such as with the poem “Never Forget We Bled.”

 

“The Haunted Streets of San Francisco” is another poem I really enjoyed reading. It opens with this very intriguing stanza:

 

“When tourists come to visit San Francisco

Some of them find it a spirited place

More ghosts are found here than dancers at a disco

They add to our mystique and Victorian grace” (Page 25)

 

The poem “Death of the Artist” on page 68 is profound. I love this poem. It reminds readers to never forget those feminist, queer, and Black voices from the past who spoke out against racism, homophobia, and oppression. I like these lines especially:

 

“Dark poetry is a broader field

Than bigoted old dead white men

And includes feminist voices such as

Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson

 

Phillis Wheatley cries out from the grave

A voice of resistance among the enslaved

Speaking for a vast graveyard of the unknown

Over a dusty tome of pauper's bones

 

Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes

And folks who used to sing the blues

Ancestors whose oral storytelling taught

The finer points of suspense and plot

 

Audre Lorde and James Baldwin,

Queer poets of the revolution,

Spoke out against racism, homophobia

And other wicked institutions”

 

“Ghostly Muse” is another good poem, and one which touched on something I have often wondered about. Have there been ghosts reading right along with us? Have ghosts influenced writers and artists? And what history a ghost would carry with it! There’s so much that can be learned there and investigated. Unfortunately for us, however, we can only wonder and speculate over such things.

 

Dance of Necromance is a collection of poetry that will delight and entertain readers who enjoy reading horror and paranormal poetry. Combined with poems that explore the current political turmoil as well as stories of experiences in relation to current events, these poems are a voice for the voiceless as well as the endangered and oppressed. With poems honoring those no longer with us as well as poems pleading to never forget the crimes committed against marginalized people, this collection of verse stands out as one which will touch readers, incite calls for action, and create a sense of appreciation for those voices that can only exist in memory.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Secrets of the Stones: Neolithic Imaginings is a poetry collection of verse that gives voice, life, and meaning to stones both sacred and mysterious

 

Neolithic Imaginings: Mythic Explorations of the Unknown

Loralee Clark

Kelsay Books, 2026

ISBN: 979-8-90146-824-1

Ebook, 50 ppg.

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For many people, a stone is just a stone. But for those who know better and understand the hidden stories and meanings behind certain stones, a whole new connection takes place. These are the stones we honor and protect, the ones we hold sacred, and the ones which have stories to tell and legacies buried deep within.

 

But you do not have to travel abroad to be able to observe, touch, and commune with these stones. Allow a poet with such understanding share these stories with you. In the poetry collection Neolithic Imaginings: Mythic Explorations of the Unknown by Loralee Clark, readers are presented with a variety of stone monuments and symbols both small and large. Interpret them as you will, but take a moment to consider Clark’s verse that explores their meanings, their depths, and their secrets.

 

The first poem, “Sacred Shape,” resonated with me. I understand that it’s talking about the ouroboros, the symbol of the snake eating itself. This symbol has always fascinated me, compelling me to set out on a search for its meaning. However, with this poem, it is used to compare it to other round shapes; a raindrop, our eyes, a ring. I like how the poem comes full circle at the end, using a much more significant symbol in comparison to this one.

 

The circle itself is a symbol that is often repeated in some of the other poems. One wonders about this significance. For me, I see it as representing things coming full circle, bound in a circle of strength. A stone that is shaped as a circle.

 

Many things of this world inspire poetry: People, places, events. Stones can also inspire poetry. Not just stones, but stones that are a part of something greater, such as natural monuments and something that is the result of humans or legends. Stonehenge, one of the many great monuments made of stone, is one such landmark. In this book, the poem “Stonehenge: Ecology of Flux” on page 22 pays tribute to those who created this monument. Of course they can’t be named; we do not yet know who exactly built Stonehenge. But we do know it was created by humans, and those are the ones honored in this poem. Here the author attempts to capture their reasoning for creating Stonehenge—“a  tapestry of living”—as well as its purpose: “Settle our spirits/Ground us to place.” And, finally, how they seem to put all of themselves into its construction, ensuring that this lasting legacy of their existence will survive into a future they cannot be a part of:

 

“One tribe begins low, multioctave:

we mirror the stones

which mirror stars moving through our bodies,

our bodies moving through the air,

air through our mouths:

we become the stars.

 

Hear us sing

reverberating these stones”

 

The poems in this book are written so well, with heavy use of expository writing and lyrical narrative. Some of the writing in these poems tend to pull me right into them, where a chorus of verse so beautifully written and colorful words kept me within these passages. In the poem “Rollright, England: Extended Cognition” on page 24, for example, one can find this well-written stanza:

 

“We send our questions with the logs of pine, the black henbane

we send questions into the fire, inhaling smoke plumes

as trees and meadow read the stars’ maps embedded in our bones.

We lift and lay the slabs, our ladder to the stars,

healing and fortifying, energy flowing from the plants and smoke

through our chests into the stones, singing itself to sky.”

 

Our stories sing within those stones, too. The stones we are buried inside, those that stand watch over our graves, and those which we were a part of in creating something larger.

 

The author’s invitation to “Come gather to sing the songs of stone” awaits. Explore the poems in this book and embrace the singing of those songs of stone.

 

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.