If poetry has taught readers anything over the years, it is that there are countless ways to write a love poem. José Olivarez (Citizen Illegal) demonstrates that truth in Promises of Gold. This collection is tender at times and raucous at others, but it is always about love: love of family, of heritage, of lovers, of food and, perhaps most poignantly, of friends. Olivarez explains in his author's note how he wanted to write a straightforward book of love poems but couldn't: "I'd be ignoring all the contradictions and messiness of the world we live in, all the ways in which love is complicated by forces larger than our hearts. I choose to bring the world and its chaos into these poems."
This collection, divided into 11 sections, is built of rhythmic structures so full of life that they fairly rise off the page. The elongated verses, much like prose poems, with short, punching lines assert an effortless conversational style. The love poems to his homies are brilliant--gentle and unexpected and often hilarious. And the traditional love poems like "Let's Get Married" capture the ordinary wonder of love: "i want to propose/ again & again. on a Wednesday because/ you did the dishes. on a Thursday because/ we woke up next to each other again. say yes./ say less. i'll be on one knee asking you/ to share in the delight of knowing each other." Bilingual readers will appreciate the Spanish translation by David Ruano González. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian