Guillotine: Poems

After reading one poem online, I ordered Slow Lightning and pre-ordered guillotine. I absolutely loved Slow Lightning, and as I try to do, succeeded in forgetting I had another of his books on pre-order. It arrived the other day. Christmas in August! I devoured the book in two nights. I could have done it in one, but I wanted to savor it. I will reread it again, and again, and the next time, I’ll not only read it slowly, as is proper, I’ll have my Spanish dictionary beside me. Yes, some poems are completely in Spanish, and many (most?) have Spanish in them. It is not necessary to read and understand Spanish to taste the beauty of the words or grasp the meaning. The poems are gut-wrenchers in their beauty and their pain. The son of Mexican immigrants, he sings the celebration of surviving the Sonora Desert, of surviving life. He also sings the lamentations of the immigrant, of the man different, of the self-inflicted pain seeking to give glory. Corral plays not only with words and notes, but with style and form. Some of the poems are out of focus, as if being read through tears. One is written in two loose columns that merge, separate, life, death. One poem is all names, out of focus, hard to read. I cried.

Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral delves into the harsh realities of border crossings, loss, and the human desire for belonging. Each poem is a poignant portrayal of the migrant experience, blending English and Spanish seamlessly to convey profound emotions and vivid imagery. Corral's lyrical and innovative style makes this collection a powerful and necessary read, resonating with both beauty and pain.

Guillotine is Eduardo Corral's second book, his first having received the Yale Younger Poets Prize. In Guillotine, Corral dives deeper into many of the same themes and observations which have made his poetry such a joy to read over the years. Absolutely every word is precise and builds images that generate delight and awe. This beauty beguiles the reader, allowing Corral to catch us off guard with revelatory lines that catch us like a sucker punch. Looking through this book with the fragmented narratives I keep wanting to know more, push forward, and accept the implicit invitation to learn more about the poet and his world than is proper. There is no other way for me to describe the conflict I feel for reading these extremely personal poems both feeling myself both an invader and voyeur. This book brings so much together in one place, you will find yourself reading it again and again.

Great poems, delivery was fast, packaged well and came with a nice note. Would definitely order again from them!

meditation on landscape but a deeply fascinating analysis of the human need/urge to migrate