Review of "The Last Exit"

Review of “The Last Exit”

Insightful, provocative, and driven are words that come to mind when reading the book, “The Last Exit.” “The Last Exit” is a book of poems by up and coming self published writer Terrance Davis. Davis has uses his poetry to portray the ills of society, life’s struggles and frustrations through the eyes of our generation.

Upon reading “The Last Exit”, each poem gives an in-depth look into the life of the author, his joys, fears, pain and observations of the world around him. The book is categorized by section as to lead the reader on a journey. One of the more provocative poems focuses on the plight of a young woman who has been used and abused. She uses her body as a way to purge herself of the hurt she has had in her life. Here is an excerpt from Labor Pains:

“…..And she rocks her abdomen from left to right/not because of the life inside/not because of the life shell let die/not because that child will be dead by next weekend/but all because she realizes her womb is a graveyard full of semen/a womb full of unscattered cremated ashes/ a gravesite that's full of bastards/ cuz they done built her up smacked her back down to a low level and wrote her off on their taxes….”

Davis uses his words to captivate the reader, as I read this book, I could envision the characters described in each poem, including the author as he creates prose about himself.

Each poem has a sense of strength, courage and even some humor. This book is powerful, captivating and one of the best works of poetry I have read. I don’t usually do book reviews but I felt the need to celebrate this brilliant work of art.