"How much blood will it take for you to fathom that the cherry glyphs in my telltale title aren’t child’s play?"
- Cherry Glyphs
Avel Renasia’s If Freedom Had a Face is a reflective poetry collection that moves through themes of freedom, identity, memory, and artistic expression. The book is organized into five sections (Graceful Grassland, Quicksilver Sky, Fatal Weather, Cryptic Water, and Eternal Art) through which it attempts to trace an emotional progression using natural imagery.
One of the collection’s most consistent qualities is its sincerity. The poems approach their subjects with surprising emotional openness, often focusing on longing and the search for personal freedom. Renasia frequently turns to imagery drawn from nature to reflect these internal states. This creates a cohesive aesthetic throughout the book and gives many poems a dreamlike, contemplative tone.
The collection can be dense metaphorically, but favors blunt reflection, which gives the language a heightened, atmospheric quality. At times, however, this density can make individual poems feel somewhat distant, and similar imagery or ideas reappear across sections without a dramatic shift in perspective. Because of this, the boundaries between the book’s parts dont feel thematic and sharply defined, with the overall voice remaining relatively consistent throughout.
Even so, the collection’s emotional through-line remains clear. The poems repeatedly return to questions of identity, belonging, and the role of art in making sense of personal experience. Readers who appreciate introspective, language driven poetry will likely find the book’s reflective tone and recurring imagery engaging.
Overall, If Freedom Had a Face is an ambitious collection that prioritizes atmosphere and emotional exploration. While some poems resonate more strongly than others, the book offers a thoughtful meditation on freedom, selfhood, and creative expression, particularly for readers drawn to lyrical and contemplative poetic styles.
Personal highlights: Purple Caterpillars, Slipping, A Mellow Thing.
