{"id":6309,"date":"2026-05-12T11:17:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6309"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:17:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:17:23","slug":"cupid-of-the-mess-by-nico-patino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6309","title":{"rendered":"Cupid of the Mess by Nico Patino"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fluid, introspective collection fueled by natural imagery, self-reflection, nostalgia, and experimental structures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Utilizing a variety of experimental structures and forms, the poems in Cupid of the Mess<\/em> dive straight into all of life\u2019s messiness. Romance is the overall underlying conceit, but, in the case of these poems, the word \u201cromance\u201d doesn\u2019t just apply to yet another relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The speaker in these poems develops and maintains a romance with not only the occasional special someone, but also the world around them. The speaker\u2019s adoration of, respect for, and engagement with the world\u2014and the gifts of experience and enlightenment the world offers\u2014is evident in every poem. Thus, Cupid of the Mess<\/em> leans heavily toward the Romantic, blending all of the tradition\u2019s best characteristics with contemporary settings and depictions.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cel nido de quetzalcoatl,\u201d with its direct address to \u201cMother\u201d and its longing for childhood, is one of the best examples of the collection\u2019s contemporary Romanticism. The speaker portrays the mother-figure as consisting of \u201cjutting, cutting, \/ unplanning angles\u201d and \u201cunassuming, unrelenting \/ unbeatable forces.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> The mother-figure\u2019s image becomes a source of personal strength and rejuvenation for the speaker, returning the speaker to a place where they can recover their strength and their potential. Therefore, \u201cel nido de quetzalcoatl\u201d is a beautiful homage to the origin stories, as well as the places and the heritages, which help recenter an individual in a world where they can quickly lose their sense of self.<\/p>\n

\u201cin some ramen shop\u201d reads like a subtle set of guidelines for living a good, fulfilled life. \u201cBring nothing but your divine mannerisms,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> the speaker commands. They continue: \u201cshower the world in your soft approach to teach word, \/ and I will admire patiently.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>As the poem continues, the lines ebb and flow\u2014literally:
\u00a0
\u00a0 \u201cLet it into your eyes before me, like a burst
\u00a0 of immortal dawn.
\u00a0 Experience my love, become my poetry
\u00a0 and I will let my heart take root.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The careful tabbing and indentation emphasize these reflective anecdotes of personal growth and development. Thus, encountering change\u2014and learning to embrace it and all it offers\u2014is another of the affirming, positive messages Cupid of the Mess <\/em>offers.
\u00a0
Cupid of the Mess<\/em>, in its realistic, frequently gritty portrayal of life and love, aging and nostalgia, is Bukowski-like. At times, it is also existential, and four-line blips like \u201cpisces\u201d disrupt the collection\u2019s flow. This disruption is jarring, disorienting\u2014perhaps even artistically and philosophically so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its poems delicately balance chaos and calm, creating a meditative space for those who enter its pages.\u00a0 The keenly observant and self-aware speaker, too, pushes the book\u2019s audience to think about their own experiences\u2014thus building universality with their audience. Cupid of the Mess<\/em> swirls poetically and pulls its audience into its fold, holding them there comfortably.<\/p>\n

The post Cupid of the Mess by Nico Patino<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A fluid, introspective collection fueled by natural imagery, self-reflection, nostalgia, and experimental structures Utilizing a variety of experimental structures and forms, the poems in Cupid of the Mess dive straight into all of life\u2019s messiness. Romance is the overall underlying conceit, but, in the case of these poems, the word \u201cromance\u201d doesn\u2019t just apply to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6309"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}