spring clean

September 26, 2022

spring clean by Sabreen Islam, published in 2022, is a bittersweet and intricate collection of poetry. Islam writes about memories both painful and nostalgic, teaching readers that a spring clean is necessary to release and confront pain.

“now that all the dust is gathered / i begin to clean”

This poetry collection turns to self-reflection and looking back on the past in preparation for the future. Islam’s poems in this collection range from carefree breaths of fresh air to grounding and pained revelations, and this variety and contrast makes Islam’s creativity and depth of emotion stand out. I love that Islam doesn’t sugarcoat how painful some memories can be, and that having to look back on them is like ripping open a wound. This collection reads as a journal, something where thoughts spill onto the page with no regard for avoiding the truth or lying about how harrowing some memories can be.

“i / have / been / closed / shut / for / so / long / i / wonder/ what / would / happen / now / if / i / bloom”

The cover of this book is exquisite. It is in various stages of blue, as explored in one of the later poems, monochrome. The cover art is what initially attracted me to this book, and I am further intrigued by the illustrations throughout. The blues are calming and soothing to look at and the art style is soft and smooth. The colour blue can be used as a way to portray serenity, but also sorrow, which is why I think the colour scheme suits this book perfectly. It explores negative memories and experiences but places importance on the idea that you can’t just get rid of those experiences in a spring clean, you have to look back on them, ‘dust’ them, and learn from them.

“find those / who will find you / when you thought / you had lost yourself”

spring clean’s illustrations give the book a lot of character. I love how they are woven throughout the book and the art style really appeals to me as a creative and a reader. The consistent floral theme of the illustrations is beautiful and gives new meaning to the ‘spring’ element of this cleaning of memories. These are the kinds of drawings I expect would be beautiful as tattoos, designs that are intricate and meaningful - something that someone would long to have sketched upon their skin.

“how the world sighs / when the clouds move / and the sun shines again”

spring clean contains both pain and hope. This collection starts with the poem spring clean and ends with it really just needed some dusting and spring clean II. The journey that Islam takes us on is one of self-discovery, recognising that memories can’t be willfully discarded, but need to be treated with care rather than dismissal. This poetry collection releases pain and ‘dusts’ it until hope is left behind.

“i don’t know / if i want / to be here / anymore / but the sky / wants me / to be here / so i think / i shall stay”

I enjoy the way that Islam doesn’t begin her poems with a title, instead leaving it until the end. She utilises the finality of the title as a way to voice something that is spoken silently where I can imagine the rest of the poem being spoken aloud. Each of the titles are in italics, perhaps representing a thought or maybe a whisper. Either way, using the title at the end of the poem adds a silent strength to each of the poems and I am fascinated by the way the title emphasises the poem’s message rather than introduces it.

“i am not you / i will not let myself become you / i will not twist myself into something i am not / to relieve some temporary satisfaction”

As noted in the acknowledgements page, Islam wrote these poems in a turbulent period in her life, a ‘lifeline’ of ‘piecing [her] life back together’. It is admirable that her spring cleaning pulled this heart-wrenching and beautiful piece of literature together. As discussed in this book, reflecting on the past and revealing hope can appear in the form of creativity. It is well worth reading the acknowledgements and dedication for this collection of poetry. Sabreen Islam is both an author and a singer-songwriter, and if you enjoyed reading this book or it sounds like something you would like to read, I would definitely recommend checking out her music!

“hope / it is a golden-winged thing / who sat on my shoulder / for so many years”

spring clean is a book of pain and hope,  a bittersweet and intricate collection of poetry. If you enjoyed Magnolia 木蘭 by Nina Mingya Powles or How to Live with Mammals by Ash Davida Jane, then I would highly recommend reading this book. Each of these poetry collections paint beautiful images and contain an enthralling variety of emotions and topics. I thoroughly enjoy reading spring clean and admiring the artistic touch and creativity in its pages, so I really recommend giving it a read!

Natalya is a student at Huanui College in Whangarei.