The has a long, sometimes fraught relationship with the horror genre; there鈥檚 a kinship in the Othering, in being feared and hated and cast out from society. CD Esklison鈥檚 new poetry collection examines this connection, whether overtly or by putting the two things side by side and leaving the associations up to the reader's interpretation.
Eskilson鈥檚 broad talent belies the fact that 鈥淪cream/Queen" is a debut. Certainly the poet is well published, with many entries in the collection previously appearing in various anthologies and websites, but the cohesiveness of the collection makes the book seem almost predestined.
鈥淪cream/Queen鈥� is broken into parts with titles that play on sub-genres. 鈥淧ara/Normal,鈥� 鈥淔ound/ Footage,鈥� and 鈥淏ody/Horror鈥� take a more literal second meaning as the individual words separated by a slash.
Employing a whole range of poetry types, from the more common couplets and free verse to blackout and cleave poetry, Eskilson's voice pitches between lyrical legato and percussive staccato. The book鈥檚 back cover mentions off-handedly that the author was in a band once, a fact that seems random until you experience the musicality of their language.
Eskilson references favorites like 鈥淗alloween,鈥� and 鈥淭he Fly,鈥� noting that 鈥渆ach horror movie archives a resistance.鈥�
The poems examine the celebration and sorrow behind that concept with intelligence and verve. In 鈥淗ow Are They Picking the Next Halloween Director?鈥� Eskilson draws parallels between a horror movie antagonist and an unassuming queer person upon whom society projects fear; who, regardless of how small and non-threatening they try to make themselves, is seen as a menace.
But it鈥檚 not all scary monsters and creepy crawlies; one entry about 鈥淲hen Meryl Streep Sings 鈥楧ancing Queen鈥� in 鈥楳amma Mia!鈥樷�� imagines the women in Eskilson鈥檚 family getting to experience that synth-crescendo, movie-climax level of happiness.
The collection is introspective and highly vulnerable, showcasing revealing poems about chronic illness and failed relationships. Eskilson writes in conversation with contemporaries, family history and current events, weaving in interviews, pop culture references and other poets鈥� work for a solid collection that respects the art while pushing boundaries.
鈥淪cream/Queen鈥� is a breezy 80-ish pages, but definitely not a book to breeze through.
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AP book reviews:
Donna Edwards, The Associated Press
