A review of Risk da Poets’, “NeverLand Lost”

To think that today, I happened to stumble across a book that would change my being is a bit of an understatement. A simple keyword search brought me to a book that is truly a gem. I’ve enjoyed this book so much that I bought both the Kindle and Paperback so that I can always have it close to me. Now, here I sit at my computer typing and deleting, trying to find the words to describe this book. I have replayed the poems over and over in my brain and relived every emotion all over again. No words can describe the impact that this book has had on me, and I genuinely believe that no review will be able to give the difficult goodness that is, “NeverLand Lost” any justice. However, I will indeed try my best.

“NeverLand Lost” is an exhilarating poetry book written by Risk da Poet (real name Xavier Boone. It vividly documents the author’s experiences and memories growing up. The manual is short (19 Poems, 37 pages) but, it surely packs a powerful punch and takes your emotions on a roller coaster ride. Risk da Poet teaches us that we are not a product of our circumstances and teaches us to reach beyond that, to see beyond that, to dream beyond that. He shows us that we must stand together and uplift each other and not fight each other.

The book covers topics an array of issues from self-love to toxic masculinity, from violence to racism, among many others. Each poem is like a knife being jabbed through your heart, like a 9mm bullet, loaded with a plethora of emotions, shot through your brain. It is like drowning in a sea, and the only way for you to breathe is through a straw in which the author purposefully makes you search for to survive. The author uses metaphors, vivid imagery, strong diction, and a surplus of other literary devices to allow his voice to shine through and make his poems memorable.

My favorite pieces from the book are “TO THE CHEC GRADUATING CLASS OF 2019 and NEVERLAND LOST”. In the former, the author dedicates the poem to his graduating classmates at Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC), where he challenges them to utilize their talents and “be the answer.” He implores them to be change agents in their communities and around the world. To hold their head up high and puff their chest out when life comes daring to kick down their door. NEVERLAND LOST, on the other hand, shies away from the inspiration and focuses on telling the cold, hard truth. The poem talks about how death is prevalent everywhere that you turn and how there is this young man (maybe the author) who is trying to find to find his place in this world, but; he feels hopeless. Other favorites from the book include “Hold Together,” “Fist Fight,” “Dear Masculinity,” and “The American Flag Speaks to the Black Boy,” just to name a few.

For the author to be so young and to be able to write so well, one can only imagine the sheer amount of force his words will carry in the foreseeable future. I cannot wait to see the direction in which the wind adjusts his sails, and I am looking forward to reading and seeing more pieces of his work. The book is available on Amazon for $5.23 for the Kindle version and $5.00 for the Paperback. To keep up to date with the author and his work, follow him on Twitter and Instagram @riskdapoet.