Somewhere in my mind

By Mr Ben Robinson

**Literary Critique: "Somewhere in My Mind" by Ben Robinson**

"Somewhere in My Mind" is a complex and emotionally layered collection that blurs the boundaries between internal thought and external reality. In this book, Ben Robinson takes the reader through a map of the mind-fragmented, reflective, poetic, and often caught between beauty and confusion. It is a journey inward, written with clarity, courage, and philosophical depth.

**Themes and Motifs**

This is a book of consciousness, where memory, identity, and perception intertwine. The speaker navigates loss, regret, change, and fleeting hope-all filtered through introspective rumination. The mind becomes both a sanctuary and a maze. Recurring motifs include wind, glass, shadows, doors, faces in reflection, and recurring phrases that feel like thoughts echoing.

**Style and Structure**

The structure mimics thought: nonlinear, recursive, surprising. Robinson breaks from conventional narrative flow, using repetition and sudden shifts to mimic the way the mind revisits trauma, joy, and doubt. The poems are mostly free verse, varying from sharp stanzas to flowing interior monologues.

**Tone and Voice**

The tone is introspective, candid, and often emotionally tentative. The speaker feels like someone trying to understand rather than to explain. There's a calm vulnerability that invites readers into the speaker's private moments-moments of doubt, wonder, resolve, and self-interrogation.

**Imagery and Poetic Devices**

The imagery is rooted in both domestic familiarity and surreal dislocation. Robinson employs water, wind, candlelight, and shifting weather as metaphors for mental and emotional states. The mind is frequently represented as a house with many rooms-or as a landscape constantly reshaped by emotion.

**Standout Poems**

- **"Say Goodbye"**: A stunning piece about trust and guarded hope that embodies emotional intelligence.
- **"Therein a Picture"**: An insightful meditation on identity, memory, and the transformative power of education.
- **"In This Place"**: A spiritual reflection on communal solace and the search for higher meaning.
- **"Under the Bridge"**: A brutally humane portrayal of homelessness and quiet resilience.

**Conclusion**

"Somewhere in My Mind" is a beautifully introspective and richly textured journey through thought and emotion. Ben Robinson masterfully balances reflection and revelation, offering a poetic meditation on what it means to live inside a restless, questioning, and resilient mind. This is one of his most intellectually and emotionally resonant collections.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BNH11ZT4
• ISBN13: 9798364628879
• Release Date: November 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"