The Muse of Love and Pain Paperback – July 15, 2013

“Into which he wished to wade”, a wonderful and lyrical line found in Salvo’s titular poem, is unfortunately one of too few lines throughout this collection that really captures the mind’s ear but also exhibits Salvo’s potential. I haven’t studied contemporary poetry so I’m not aware of how one would categorize Salvo’s poems. On the one hand I imagine that they would be of interest to goth and alternative individuals who are steeped in the nightmare worlds of stark blacks and alabaster whites, and on the other hand persons who enjoy poems that rely more on internal or no rhymes but whose structures are built more around short bursts of images or stamped words as single lines. I enjoyed this short collection (very big print) and found that I have written in similar fashion at times, though not so similar a subject matter. Salvo frequently employs religious (pagan and Christian) images and relies too heavily on stark contrasts. The lithe salvific curves of his damsel’s porcelain snowy skin and her deep pulsing eyes set by blushing red lips and hair is used all too frequently as are the vampiric blacks and oozing veins contorting maniacal arms twisted in strangling knots (no, those are not images found in the book, but they are similar in theme and type from poem to poem) turn up over and over. It gets to be…redundant, even when it is set slightly differently each time. Despite this I enjoyed this short, quick collection. The poems are lively enough, sometimes erotic, rarely but on occasion surprising, and don’t require that much from the reader: often what you read is what you get. If there are terribly deeper meanings embedded within Salvo’s poems beyond his worship of archetypes of love and death and his romantification of them then I readily admit that I missed them. But sometimes it’s actually nice to not have to work so hard at digging deeper meaning out. Salvo closes up this collection with a couple short prose pieces. The last is menacingly manic but they, IMO, ended up distracting from his poetry. If they had to be included (and I don’t think that they did as they don’t add substantively) they would have been better mixed into the digest at odd points instead of ending on them.Lastly, I will admit that the reason I picked this up is because while I was looking for some short volume of new and very recent poetry, it was the gorgeous and mysterious and evocative cover picture that graces this thin slip of a book that immediately caught my attention. It still does. Good choice, Salvo, and thanks for giving credit to the participants where they are due. I’m glad I picked this up. 3.75 stars.

I am absolutely in love with the way A.X. Salvo lyrically writes their poems. Every last one stands on it’s own as a masterpiece of lovely imagery and story. Some poems strike your heart like a hot iron and some make it race out of rhythm. I recommend this book to any lovers of lore and romance.

These poems are the perfect blend of beauty and madness wrapped up in the throes of love. The characters are dark, yet devoted; destructive, yet alive and passionate. There are so many moods to shift through within the collection that it is impossible to encounter boredom while exploring the lustful and painful stories of these epic poems. The shorter poems are just as juicy and pack a punch that make me return to them, finding new inspiring imagery each time I read them. If you like poetry that instantly sparks an imaginative, visual guide to accompany the crazy ups and downs of real, mythological or iconic characters in love, definitely check this out!

This is a beautiful book mixed with love, lust, sorrow, and hope with a twist of fantasy. My favorites include alone, hands, and immolation. Take a step out of your reality, curl up with this book and let it leave an imprint on your heart.

These glowing poems of love, passion and darkness truly make the floor sway in a way that anyone would crave for. A leap into the complex subconscious depths of our being that is always there waiting for and wanting us. An indulgence of the senses and a treat for any searching mind. Can't wait to see what this author will do in the future.

Easy read

The entire collection is poems of sex. WAYYY too many descriptive words, it actually becomes hard to follow what is actually being said. Plus there are so many uncommon words used in every single poem that it again becomes ridiculously hard to follow what is being said. Overall, a frustrating, disappointing, waste of time.

It is hard to believe that the princess of the arts has stooped to an audience with an appetite for double talk that sees through kaleidoscope glasses with cracks that spew out a lewd and crude alphabet soup to feast on.

Good for your girlfriend but soppy

A wonderful collection of work! I am absolutely in love with the way the poet spins these tales. Well worth a read, well worth multiple re-reads. Love, love, love it.