Falling Awake was shortlisted for the 2016 Forward Prize for Poetry - and I can now see exactly why.
This collection of poetry has everything that you would want from a classic collection of poetry and verse.
Oswald cleverly utilises every type of poetical device within the poetic landscape, from alliteration, similes, metaphors and extended metaphors - just to name a few.
She manages to utilise the entire page when constructing her pieces, visually adding to the theme of the piece just by the position of the words on the page. This makes it so vivid.
However, this is done in such a way that it does not detract in the slightest from the intense imagery that she creates.
Topics covered within this collection range from all sorts of aspects from all walks of life, but has a very unique and poetical twist, as seem in the video below of the poem 'Shadow', which is included within the book...
The second half of this collection is dialogue from two of Greek mythology's prominent hero's Orpheus and Tithonus. It was written in such a beautiful and clever way that their dialogue was like spending time in their presence.
I gave this collection four out of five stars as it fully encompassed for me all of the elements that make up such a wonderful collection of classic poetry. A truly wonderful piece of work...