So much could be said about Call Us What We Carry, but I'm left speechless. Gorman's poetry, her heart, is harrowing and vulnerable and honest and extraordinary. Every poem stands out to me as a new moment and way of pulling back the current on the horrors and criminality of our world, specifically the US, juxtaposed by the beauty and strength and hope of our world's people, specifically minorities and more specifically Black people. Gorman's portrayal of war, vastness and Covid and her commentary on them are themes that stand out to me throughout the book. As a 24 year old woman of color, its striking (and unsettling in some ways but reassuring in others) how similar her experiences over the last couple years and the way they've shaped her views are to my own. I listened to this and thorough recommend, for Gorman's voice is essential to understanding the story(s) she tells. I also want to add this to my physical library, for I know it's something I will return to. 5 stars always.
Stand out poems: Essez I, Another Nautical, Cordage, or Atonement, Pan, Pre-Memory, Survey, _ _ _ _ _ [Gated], Monomyth, and of course, The Hill We Climb