A review by joceraptor
I Wore My Blackest Hair by Carlina Duan

3.0

At its best, Duan's collection of poetry is visceral and heavy without being overdone, but I found it a bit repetitive when I was least engaged. The highs for me were the poems in which she talks about her relationship to her father, and her exploration of identity and immigration. I WASN'T JOKING was far and away my favorite piece, especially the end:

when I bit my bottom
lip they said,
Oh,
and I turned
vicious: girl
stroking the earth
with two biceps. let
no one take my
tongue. I got a yodel
in me, won't back down
without parting my lips,
wet and eager
for the flight---