Emotions From The City
January 17, 2004
Reviewed by: Diane Marbury RAWSISTAZ
THE VOICES OF SOUTH CENTRAL poetically paints the
emotions and issues of the
South Central section of Los Angeles. Charles Chatmon
tackles many topics in
this volume of verse, which uses the often
controversial and misunderstood
location as its muse.
Politics, racism, love, and discrimination are a few
of the featured themes.
Written with stark sensitivity and style, the poems
give a poignant and real
view of life and the circumstances that people face.
Reading THE VOICES OF
SOUTH CENTRAL will erase "The Boys In The Hood"
thoughts of South Central and
replace them with thoughts of hope and inspiration.
The Depths of My Soul
A collection of poems that talk about love, the ups
and downs, the heartbreaks and joy of romance and
life. In the introduction, a character named The
Observer guides the reader in both the Depths of
Romance and Society. "The Depths of Romance" have
verses including "A Message to Black Women","How Can I
Please You?", "Mental Seduction" and the title of the
book, "The Depths of My Soul." "The Depths of Society"
deals with social commentary ranging from all subjects
dealing with past and present social issues. You'll
find poems such as "The Fire Still Burns", "Pay Me,
Mr. President", and "I Am A Man." For those of you who
ever wondered what a man thinks coming from his heart,
his soul, The Depths invites you to embark on a
journey you shall never forget.
Another collection of poems that Chatmon has written.
Poems you will read are: "The Retribution Has Been
Televised", "700 Wives", Wisdom is Laughing", "Sunday
Afternoon at the Pike", and a love story with a twist,
"I Dream of Freedom". Your eyes will see why we should
"Take a Minute and Pause", find out about "He Who
Hides" and your heart will be touched when you browse
through "Happy Anniversary". With a title such as The
Voices of South Central, it would be easy to focus on
the hardships and woes of the oft mentioned community.
However, The Voices won't just focus on the
neighborhood, there are romantic verses and social
issues discussed in the book.
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