Ayo Gutierrez

Yearnings Ayo Gutierrez

Prose is the elegant recording of words to create stories that convey setting, characters, plot and climax. Poetry, especially in the case of Yearnings, is the translation of emotion into words. This collection is unyielding in its examination of the emotions in people, often from the perspective of modern women. Ayo Gutierrez is an expert of poetic irony, meaning we are able to read about things that are seldom spoken. Her subjects range from religion to child birth to inter- and extra-personal relationships. Gutierrez's attention to detail in her writings enables us, the readers, to develop a greater understanding of the issues she captures. She brings us into the midst of a subject and wraps our minds in the comfort of her words, allowing us to steep in her perspective, disappearing with our evolution. Gutierrez does not offer up traditional formats in her poetry. You will not find sonnets nor iambic pentameter; rather, you will find heightened, sometimes disjointed, free-form poetry that bites and caresses. Instead of works about the beauty of rainbows, you will read about the intense, complex molecules inside that rainbow.