I love a good poetry collection where the poet has a clear command of the language. Rankine writes beautifully and paints such vivid imagery that I found incredibly immersive. However, I can't deny that this was also a tough collection to get through. I admit that I couldn't quite figure out what the main themes or intentions were, which made these poems—beautiful as they were—come together a bit randomly. With that said, I do think this is a collection that asks to be reread and looked at from different angles, which is something I may have to do in the near future.

Some favorites: “Tender,” “Fireblight,” “On the Motion of Animals,” “Symptoms of Optimism,” “Wilt,” “Matter in Retreat,” “Instructions for the Forest,” and “We”