![]() ![]() For the most part, those tended to be the poems that worked best for me. I read Gay's collections in reverse chronological order, and these focuses are certainly a throughline for him, but I'd say this work is the most bracing and direct in tone and subject, leaning towards the heavier end of the spectrum. The collection as a whole could be considered a meditation on the juxtapositions of violence, pain, and death with tenderness, beauty, and wonder. The Part Three is especially compelling, with most of the poems revolving around Gay's ailing father (to whom the book is dedicated to) as he comes to terms with his dying and death. That was more than corrected in the second half, however, which has all the rich writing Gay is so masterful at alongside some more thematic cohesion and heart. ![]() The first half (Part One and the first half of Part Two) was weaker for me, featuring Gay's gorgeous language and skilled turns of phrase but ultimately feeling a little more hollow than what I'd come to expect from him. ![]() I probably enjoyed this the least of his 3 collections, which is saying a lot because I still found it to be pretty incredible. If it was ever in question, Ross Gay has clinched his spot among my top favorite poets. ![]()
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