"Look in my eyes and tell me what do you see,
I remember a time when everything was so simple
to me.
Is it not plain to see?
What the world is like through a teenager like me."
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The World Through My Eyes by Colletta Adonia Trafford Publisher
book review by L. Alonso
Colletta Adonia prefaces her poetry collection The World Through My Eyes with a brief note to her readers: "This book was written in my adolescent years. So I've decided to leave the book as it was written so that I do not take away for the overall purpose as it was originally intended." The motivation behind each poem varies, yet they all attempt to lay bare some facet of adolescence or young adulthood that is at once unique to her individual experience and universal in the emotions they attempt to portray. Adonia tackles a broad range of topics, from infatuation, passion and heartbreak, to betrayal, grief, suicide and death. All of them examined with the raw emotion and intensity that is characteristic of youth and adolescence. Some pieces, like the opening poem "Love is…" display a certain innocence and naivete, while others like "Having sex with me" are surprisingly explicit and boasting in their knowledge. Yet it is this dichotomy that most echoes the truth of being a teenager—the fluid concepts of identity and the evolution of ideals, thoughts and opinions that ultimately lead to growth. At times the poems bear the marks of inexperience. Much of the focus is placed on end rhyme, which can occasionally distract from the overall meaning of individual verses. Yet it is Adonia's honesty which truly stands out. In many ways, reading The World Through My Eyes is a glimpse into a young woman's innermost thoughts, the results of which are equally surprising and enlightening.