Readers who desire to break away from their own lives and busy schedules, if even for a moment, can now take haven with Brandon Gene Petit's poetry collection, "Intrinsic Desires."This is a compilation of both traditional and unconventional poetry, with neo-gothic overtones. Through both free verse and rhyming styles, Petit explores themes such as love, nature, dreams, religious struggles and existential philosophy.

Intrinsic Desires

Brandon Gene Petit
AuthorHouse (2006)
ISBN 1420891995
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/07)


Whenever I read a really well written piece of work, I feel intimidated about following up with writing a review. “Intrinsic Desires” is one of those books that are a tough act to follow. It is difficult to write the perfect words to convey how much this writing touched me, but I will try my best.

“Intrinsic Desires” is a collection of neo-gothic type poems written by Brandon Gene Petit. They are incredible. I love the darkness and the depth that the words carry within each poem. Sometimes I felt more like I was reading a spell and feeling the magic of the words wrap around my soul, than reading just a poem.

I would love to know where Petit takes his inspiration from. I am sure it comes from events happening in his life, but what specifically I can only imagine from his writings. In addition to some of the darker themes, he also mentions vampires, dragons, knights and ghosts. I love these kinds of themes because the fantasy aspects that they contain take away from the boringness of the mundane realities of life.

The poem that I related to most was “Whole.” It begins:

“Trust has become a useless organ,
Lying limp and dead at your side,
A martyr slain in the name of knowledge,
To rest in the shadow of your pride…”

The poems seem like they were written at a different time or maybe in a different reality. I felt like the book I was reading should have been a cloth-covered hardbound edition with old, yellowing pages. In time, these pages will be old and yellowing because I plan to reread these writings over and over again.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy the darker fantasy novels. If you are a high school or college student that needs to write a paper about a poem or a poet, “Intrinsic Desires” is definitely the book for you.