Intricate and visionary, Kane Benjamin Crookes’ latest collection, “Piano Keys out of Breath”, demonstrates a bold evolution of the haiku form while deepening his exploration of Gothic imagery. Published on May 22, 2025, by Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd, the book moves fluidly between free verse and experimental haikus, placing nature and the supernatural in striking contrast. The result is a work that lingers in the reader’s imagination, leaving behind an air of dread that clings to even the most delicate descriptions of petals, dew drops, or stars.
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In This Book Review of Kane Benjamin Crookes’ “Piano Keys out of Breath”:
Nature Meets the Supernatural
At the heart of Kane Benjamin Crookes’ collection is the tension between the serenity of nature and the unsettling pull of the supernatural. He repeatedly uses imagery of leaves, snow, mist, boughs, and blossoms, but twists them into forms that carry menace—moonlight grinning with evil eyes, skeletons rising from the water, a palm tree clawing at the sky. This blending forces readers to view natural beauty with suspicion, as though every line is on the verge of collapsing into something darker. Each poem stands alone, yet together they create an atmosphere of eerie suspense, hinting at untold stories that dissolve before they can unfold.
What The Author Says:
“The poems selected for the collection are organised in chronological order, for I aim to show my readers my thought processes in the most precise way. Most tell of the colder months—September, October, November, and December—which is because I set myself a challenge to write as many as possible during this period. Travelling to places such as Greece, though, was important to unpack the supernatural with a palm tree. Indeed, it did seem to gnaw—with its giant claw—at the seams of my collar. You will find this poem in the collection.
“Aside from the excessive use of nature, there are also many poems that tell of the moon. I think this stems from a childlike connection I have towards it, which I feel comes from when I used to watch it follow me from the car window, out of which the playful body hung like a tapestry. The moon I’ve found is also important for the development of the Image, due to the level of abstraction from which you can somewhat cut.”
Highlights from the Collection
Several poems stand out as emblematic of Kane Benjamin Crookes’ style and ambition.
- “Spiders Hung”
Crookes himself has highlighted this as a pivotal poem, and it’s easy to see why. The piece stretches the haiku form into six lines, layering images of fog, moonlit grass, and spiders weaving webs before culminating in the striking image of a red bough stirring in the air. The extension beyond the traditional three lines feels deliberate—it mirrors the web-building spiders, spinning out threads of verse that entangle the reader in atmosphere and imagery. It’s inventive, unsettling, and proof of Crookes’ willingness to reshape form for effect. - “Running Out of Breath”
Here, Crookes uses the metaphor of the moon as piano keys, connecting celestial imagery with the book’s title. The poem’s breathless rhythm, punctuated by dashes, mimics the sense of exhaustion in its closing phrase. It encapsulates his ability to move between the cosmic and the intimate within just a handful of lines. - “Skeletons Rise”
One of the collection’s darker entries, this poem begins with a delicate metaphor—“The moon is a gold petal”—only to twist it into a vision of skeletons rising from black water. It’s a perfect example of Crookes’ technique: leading readers into a familiar, almost gentle image before pulling them into Gothic unease. - “A Giant Claw”
Inspired by his travels in Greece, this poem transforms a palm tree into a monstrous appendage. The lines gnaw at the “whitest collar”, a moment where natural observation turns into personal threat. It’s this quality—taking something innocuous and making it sinister—that threads through the entire collection. - “Teeth Fed on the Window”
In this short piece, frost becomes predatory, its “teeth” likened to galactic stars. The juxtaposition of beauty and menace demonstrates Crookes’ precision with imagery and his ability to find unease in the everyday.
Further Standout Poems
Beyond the central highlights, Kane Benjamin Crookes’ other poems add further shape to the Gothic framework of “Piano Keys Out of Breath”. Pieces such as “Dewdrops” and “Dew’s Handwriting” are quiet and understated, dwelling on the fragile presence of water across leaves and petals. Both capture fleeting natural moments with precision, reminding the reader that beauty often exists in the smallest of details. “Apples Bouncing” moves in the opposite direction, full of rhythm and movement, echoing the musical threads woven throughout the collection. Together, these works show Kane Benjamin Crookes’ control of tone, from stillness to momentum.
On the darker side, poems like “Resurrection” and “Broken Skulls” lean heavily into Gothic imagery. “Resurrection” threads moonlight, flowers, and snow into a vision of deathbeds and decomposition, while “Broken Skulls” conjures something more visceral—fractured remains breaking through the soil. Both demonstrate Kane Benjamin Crookes’ fascination with decay, transformation, and the fine line between beauty and horror. These poems remind readers that even in his most imaginative flights, mortality is never far away.
Other pieces offer subtler, lyrical moments that still hold a Gothic edge. “Whispers” feels fleeting and spectral, a poem of vanishing stars and fading light, while “Nature’s Finest Song” returns to the motif of piano keys, suggesting that music is buried within the natural world but never entirely harmonious. “The Moon Grins” adds menace by giving the moon a sinister expression, making it both familiar and threatening at the same time. Each of these works underscores Kane Benjamin Crookes’ ability to balance delicacy with unease.
Finally, there are works like “The Red Umbrella” and “Rain”, which stand out for their immediacy. “The Red Umbrella” captures beauty in brevity, its dripping blossoms forming a striking image of transience, while “Rain” reimagines a simple gesture—drawing a finger through water—as something tactile, surreal, and quietly unsettling. These closing moments in the collection expand Kane Benjamin Crookes’ palette, showing how even everyday encounters with weather or objects can take on an uncanny weight.
Collaborative Voices
The book opens with poems by Elisha Singh, Megan Elizabeth Hall, and Chanel Darwent Ricketts, each bringing their own interpretations of Gothic-infused verse. These inclusions enrich the collection and align with its overarching mood, proving that the themes of “Piano Keys out of Breath” extend beyond Kane Benjamin Crookes’ own voice. The addition of Ava’s photography-inspired haikus and Lina’s concise closing piece further expands the creative landscape, turning the collection into a collaborative canvas.
The Growth of a Poet
At just 21, Kane Benjamin Crookes has already produced two collections, with his debut published book titled “Blooming Us”, and shows no hesitation in challenging traditional poetic structures. His fixation on the moon, which recurs throughout “Piano Keys out of Breath” in countless guises, feels almost childlike in its wonder yet Gothic in its execution. Whether it grins menacingly, drowns in clouds, or glows like broken skulls, the moon acts as a shifting symbol of both fascination and fear.
Final Thoughts
“Piano Keys out of Breath” is not just a collection of poems—it’s a haunting experience that fuses nature with the paranormal, creating a Gothic atmosphere that is both unsettling and beautiful. Kane Benjamin Crookes’ experimentation with haiku form, his striking imagery, and his thematic consistency make this an important step in his development as a poet. By pushing the boundaries of tradition, he breathes fresh life into Gothic poetry for the modern reader.
This sophomore published collection, “Piano Keys out of Breath” by Kane Benjamin Crookes, is available to buy in paperback form on Amazon and Waterstones.
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