Review by Jami Macarty
In DEED, torrin a. greathouse delves into the origins of word and action, crafting a vibrant “queer lexicon” that reflects new possibilities for engaging with trans life and sexuality. This collection, while acknowledging themes of betrayal, consciously steps away from a trauma-centric narrative. The poems are infused with a sense of liberation, free from the “stigma” often associated with discussions of trans desire and chronic illness. Although they carry a history of violence and oppression intertwined with desire and choice, the poems embrace a refreshing, unapologetic exploration of intimacy without guilt.
One of the most striking aspects of this collection is the way words transition from meaning something to doing something, combining etymological “miracle” and mythological “metaphor.” A “verb can carry many meanings.” Take “swallow”: to resist expressing; to believe unquestioningly; to cause to disappear; the muscular movement of the esophagus. This range of definitions offers greathouse the possibilities of “What language is there for survival.”
The poet’s style exhibits remarkable control, perhaps a response to the intense subject matter, which includes themes of transition, sex work, and the complexities of dominant-submissive relationships. Notably, greathouse employs poetic forms such as the “burning haibun” and “cleave tanka.” Each embodies a sense of duality, wherein two expressions cleaved together or apart create a dynamic interplay of ideas. This structural doubleness echoes the content, “born / from the severance of” — transitioning from victimization to empowerment through sexuality. In these chimeric forms, greathouse creates transformations of context and meaning.
At times, greathouse invites patience from the reader with phrases like “Bear with me,” hinting at the demanding nature of her subject matter while simultaneously encouraging an engagement with the profound exploration of identity and desire within the poetry. In “trusting the broken / / machine of my desire,” torrin A. greathouse is held by words and creates new “cognates” for belonging.
DEED by torrin a. greathouse. Wesleyan University Press, August 2024.
Reviewer bio: Jami Macarty is the author of The Long Now Conditions Permit, winner of the 2023 Test Site Poetry Series Prize (forthcoming University of Nevada Press), and The Minuses (Center for Literary Publishing, 2020), winner of the 2020 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award – Poetry Arizona. Jami’s four chapbooks include The Whole Catastrophe (Vallum Chapbook Series, 2024) and Mind of Spring (Vallum Chapbook Series, 2017), winner of the 2017 Vallum Chapbook Award.
