Dark Poetry Review: The Apocalyptic Mannequin by Stephanie M. Wytovich

February 06, 2020

“I pray to Lucifer that whatever Hell he’s building, he
Finishes it soon.” I feel that deep down in my soul.

The Apocalyptic Mannequin by Stephanie M. Wytovich

Released September 2019

Dark Fiction | Goodreads | Amazon

Source: Received for Review Consideration

Doomsday is here and the earth is suffering with each breath she takes. Whether it's from the nuclear meltdown, the wrath of the Four Horsemen, a war with technology, or a consequence of our relationship with the planet, humanity is left buried and hiding, our bones exposed, our hearts beating somewhere in our freshly slit throats.

The Apocalyptic Mannequin by Stephanie M. Wytovich is a collection that strips away civilization and throws readers into the lives of its survivors. The poems inside are undelivered letters, tear-soaked whispers, and unanswered prayers. They are every worry you've had when your electricity went out, and every pit that grew in your stomach watching the news at night. They are tragedy and trauma, but they are also grief and fear, fear of who--or what--lives inside us once everything is taken away.

These pages hold the teeth of monsters against the faded photographs of family and friends, and here, Wytovich is both plague doctor and midwife, both judge and jury, forever searching through severed limbs and exposed wires as she straddles the line evaluating what's moral versus what's necessary to survive.

What's clear though, is that the world is burning and we don't remember who we are.

So tell me: who will you become when it's over?

My 2 Cents For Free!

I haven’t read a lot of poetry in my life. Back in high school my best friend foisted a book of romantic poems on me and all I can remember is that they made me want to cry and it scared me away from poetry for a long while. They were so depressing and sad and they made me hate love for a little bit. Back in the mid 00’s I read a horror poetry chapbook and remember thinking it was okay (but not really my thing) and that’s about as far my knowledge goes. If you’re looking for a poetry expert, I am not your person. But I do know what scares me and this book contained some amazing imagery that will give me nightmares for a long time to come.

Wytovich creates a bleak world devastated by plague, chemicals, ruination and all of the painful truths about humanity that are likely to occur when life as we know it is over forever. It contains beautifully written and frightening visions of an apocalyptic future. Each poem is a little glimpse into a bleak nightmare world.

If I had to pick my favorite line, it would be this one.

“I pray to Lucifer that whatever Hell he’s building, he
Finishes it soon.”

In so few words she gets right to the pain and needless suffering of it all. Love it.

And this one is a close second.:

I am made solely of teeth.

I simply love that imagery.

I refuse to pick a favorite poem because I honestly found something haunting in all of them.

This collection basically scared the shit out of me because I am terrified for the future of the planet we continue to poison and this book didn’t help ease my fears, haha! If you are worried about the state of our world this collection might not make you feel better about that end of it but it may comfort you to know that you are not alone!