Book Review: 2Fish by Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo

I am so excited to share my first Substack book review!

I read a lot. And I have often thought about sharing insights and quotes from the books I read, but fear and uncertainty held me back until now.

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I do my best to mix up my reading selections. 

Nonfiction is my go-to. I love a great novel. And I’m trying to go deeper into the world of short stories. But there is one area of literature I have always been interested in yet shied away from – poetry. 

At first, I used poetry to pad my books-per-year number and as motivation in hopes of sparking a creative writing habit.

Now, I bring home at least one poetry book every time I return to the library. They supplement longer books perfectly, giving me something to reach for between meetings, while cooking, or when I need to turn a few pages before bed.

2Fish, by Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (popularly known as Jhené Aiko for you music fans), is one of my favorite poetry books.

The book is a mix of entries from her personal notebooks. It’s fascinating to see her revision process and the rawness with which she exposes her thoughts and emotions.

Her vulnerability inspires me. Her words connect with me. The poems in this book brought me back to her music and allowed me to resonate with it much more deeply.

When we get to know artists, we can pull more connections from their work because we can empathize with what helped them to create it. I love that.

Here are a few of my favorite poems from 2Fish. I highly recommend this book to all artists and anyone who loves the power of intimate poetry.

---

I am the eye of the storm 

I am calm when the earth quakes beneath me

Standing my ground

With my roots

Gripping deeply 

Telling the truth 

When need be

But never too loud 

I don’t have to shout 

Honest and modest 

And proud

---

Nights are colder

Days seem longer 

Pray it only makes me stronger 

Stopping at green lights 

Running the red

Mourning the living 

And envy the dead

Crying in silence 

Thinking out loud 

I’m growing older 

And into a child 

More suffering and pain 

The greater I became 

Discovering me 

For the first time

---

In the middle of somewhere 

On the edge of rejection 

I took my self back 

And i started accepting 

That life is just moment

To moment 

To moment 

There’s no use in dwelling 

You can not control it 

Or hold it 

Or pause it 

Or call it 

Your own 

There’s no destination 

You’re already home