What a stunning collection of poems. Natalie Díaz presents poetry that is charged with emotions ranging from intimate, sheer awe, to heartbreaking. I was impressed by the overarching themes that connected an array of topics which smoothly transitioned from one poem to the next; much like the rivers she writes about metaphorically and literally. The way she incorporates nature into her poetry—especially water—to explore love, colonialism, writing, and Indigenous/Latinx identity is wonderful. Another thing about using nature: this isn’t some romanticized portrait that we often find in poetry. Instead, Díaz takes an earthier (quite literally, too, with references to metals and the dust of the earth), dirt-under-your-fingernails approach that I would frankly argue is more realistic when you’re in natural beauty.

There’s an ache and longing in her poetry that might explain why her poems connect so well. Moreover, I personally found two things that really made Postcolonial Love Poem stand out. One, Díaz’s stylistic choices which, much like her topics, varied in each section. The other was her choice in words that created a stunning sonic experience. With varied rhythms, literary devices like alliteration, and an almost Dickinson-like style in punctuation, I found that these poems were especially beautiful to read aloud.

While you can read this collection in one sitting, I found myself taking a few days to savor every poem. Postcolonial Love Poem is rich in content, and I feel the only way you can appreciate that is by taking your time to let the words linger and, in many cases, haunt.