February POtM - Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
Don’t Call Us Dead is an homage to the black body— particularly what happens after death. Danez writes poems about an imagined afterlife of police-murdered men, and in tandem writes of the HIV epidemic and what kind of battle this presents for a body as well.
January POtM - The Ants by Sawako Nakayasu
The Ants is a collection of poems that revolves around the title insect. Human experiences are shrunk to the level of the amorous aphid, and why shouldn’t they be? This delightful work helps one put our everyday lives in perspective. These poems allow us to feel as though a wide range of troubles and annoyances from our lives are themselves carried away on the back of the bug. Furthermore, Nakayasu creates a strange and humbling equality between the human lens and the insect. I found these poems humorous as often as I found them astounding.