Other Side of Broken by Kimberly Casey

An honest, sincere look at what happens as when you are finally in the “after” of something you thought would break you  

Kimberly Casey’s second collection, Other Side Broken begins with a reclamation. The speaker is expanding the term “mother,” or perhaps just redefining it—declaring herself a mother but beyond just biological terms. Throughout the collection, our speaker shares her unique perspective, encompassing this idea of creator by showing us a kaleidoscope of possibilities and language.

The speaker in Other Broken Side pushes back on how she has been labeled and how she has been taught to see herself. Using visceral descriptions, she brings reality to abstract ideas such as “barren.” However, it is not just herself she sees a difference in. The entirety of the world can be shifted by seeing it through a different lens.

Casey takes on topics as small as the seeds of a dandelion and as large as god, saying “god can be the biggest wound we carry.” But the speaker rips apart every wound for the reader, no matter the size. Whether it is her own past mistakes, her relationships with family, with death, the speaker is puzzling together the pieces she never tried to fit together before—well, at least not in this way. 

In these poems, we can feel the speaker’s consciousness of the reader, the idea of being perceived. However, there is some defense, in poems like “When You Sleep with Someone Else,” that is clearly not tied to the direct reader or even just the speaker, but the spouse as well. The sincerity and vulnerability of the poems are matched only by the bravery.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the most consistent tone in the poems, however, which is wonderment. The title of the book comes from the poem “Subtext,” which details the seemingly impossible nature of moving on, to a new life, new relationships, including a new relationship with her ex. The speaker moves in a place of awe at how things change or even how they stay the same, in ways she could never imagine.

In the end, awe and care are the center of this book. It is not that the imagination is limited, but that the possibilities are endless. There are many ways to love someone, there are many ways to be a mother, to find your dreams. It doesn’t make loss less painful, but ending up on “the other side” is not the end. Instead, there are dogs, friends, family, poems.