Throughout Aimee Nezhukumatahil's collection I could not help, but soak up all the sweet. She often uses sugar as a verb in the book; sugaring:the the act of adding sugar or sweetness to something.
"like a gold ghost sugaring my coffee"
"my south started with sugar"
"this sugar"
"our mouths will press only on this sugar-"
She sprinkles this soft sweetness into most of the poems and it creates a light landing for the heavy content and deeper meanings.
Like all of the books we have read in this class I consider Nezhukumatahil's work to be an act of resistance. A work of art to raise a voice and raise the reader's awareness. However, this book is not like the others. The approach of resistance and response to very real and really terrible things in the world (ie: environmental issues, racism) is different. At first I couldn't put my finger on it- until I found myself giggling through the pages at her soft humor. Like in naming the heartbeats I've become the person who says darling, who says sugarpie, honeybunch, snugglebear- what I call my husband is unprintable, youre welcome and "One star reviews of the Taj Mahal" in its entirety. Nezhukumatahil is committed to making us laugh, she knows we can't resist the temptation to smile when we imagine the tail wag of a dog or dozens of scallop-eyes spying on you or when we look up the song in the title of one of her poem. The poet has set up us to smile, has set us up to remember we are capable of joy just as much as we are capable of anger. She has stood in front of the ocean and listened to it’s crashing roar and it’s contagious laughter that showers the boulders at it’s shore- she know something so beautiful and vast as the ocean could never only be capable on one or the other and she wants us to know we are not exception.
but did you watch that video of Prince and the Muppets singing starish and coffee?!! I love her references, her joy and her subtle humor. And her one star rating poems are so fucking good. She is tackling big issues and she does do so with clever wisdom, holding all of it in her hands. I hadn't noticed her use of sugar. I like it. it is tender like so many of her reflections about the world around her, tender like the way you can tell she has a lot of grief and hope both. Thank you for your reflection!
ReplyDelete"The poet has set up us to smile, has set us up to remember we are capable of joy just as much as we are capable of anger." There are so many moments that celebrate life, land and love in this book. With that celebration you can read, see and feel the images of humor. My mind and body reaction to to her humor makes me feel connected to the poet and her words and in a way it feels like a gift to be pulled into this world of celebration and laughter. It makes you realize the poets tender thoughts really are a gift for us readers to experience.
ReplyDeleteit's a nice take, some good examples.
ReplyDeletee