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This poetry collection examines many aspects of society, justice, and personal life. It addresses socio-political events like the January 6th Capitol riots, and it also addresses the justice system’s oppressive policies. The book also places a poetic magnifying glass over America’s issues with race and how American society has never truly been racially equal, despite society’s claims. These poems dissect America’s fascination with and reliance on police forces and address how law enforcement is an extension of America’s racial oppression. In other poems, a speaker shares their prison experiences: “Six years at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution / For a crime that I didn’t commit. / That’s the first thing that hit me, / And it knocked me off balance.” As the collection concludes, the speaker celebrates the places where they can be themselves and experience a freedom that they cannot find anywhere else.
This collection speaks in a powerful, brave, and defiant voice. These poems dare to tread where few poems dare to wander. The poems addressing poverty, racial injustice, and the pitfalls of the justice system are at the center of the collection. However, despite the socio-political lens through which the speaker views life, even everyday objects, such as rollaway beds and bikes, receive astute attention. These poems find “Home again in forgotten sweetness.” Some poems even celebrate individuals like "The Junkman" that society and communities frequently overlook: “The Navigator Jack / I saw behind those eyes / Could be anything he wanted, / And at that moment he wanted to be our Junkman.” This collection undoubtedly offers readers a fresh and new voice in poetry.