I want to thank NetGalley for my ARC, and for Taylor's communications via Instagram.

I wanted to review this for a few reasons. I love poetry, supporting Black businesses (author in this case), and although she isn't from Ohio, she lives there and is by default, a fellow Ohioan.

As I have been thinking about how to approach this review I juggled a few things. What I decided, I feel is most appropriate. Because poetry is something that involves writing much more deeply from the heart, I refuse to critique the book at any form, aside from the enforced 5 star rating system by Goodreads and NetGalley's review forms. What I will do, however, is to mention the poems that resonated with me, and made me reflect whether upon the poem itself, or on the feelings the poem induced. Taylor has written some beautiful pieces in this collection. The uncomfortableness is important, because when you're uncomfortable, one's true feelings become visible. Beautiful collection of poetry.

And So You Want a Poem...
I felt like the use of "it", even in lower case form, gives the sense of the woman and her body being used for the man's needs and then discarded when he/they are done. The lower-case "it" further lessens the woman's identity, humanity, power, etc. as if she isn't worthy of her own identity/locus of control.

Canvas
I read this as an analogy of women of color being white-washed--figuratively in this analogy by the white painting of the canvas. I also read this as if even when women of color have titles, i.e. education, professional, or even portraying themselves to be what (white) society wants them to be, that their locus of control is and never will be enough to see these beautiful and remarkable women for who they are and their uniqueness that they bring to our world.

Essay on Shuttering
Respect the appreciation for this author's and fellow women's perspectives and individual experiences. The amount of composure of strength, of frustration to be under a constant lens as if an animal in a zoo exhibit, to see how they function, to be tamed, to be controlled. The following quote was quite visible in its importance to me: "My mother took me to admire the art but the art was too busy watching me."

Asymetrical Images
This one didn't really make sense to me. I am not sure why? Is it because I am a man? Is there something deeper that I am glossing over? A tax on tampons is ridiculous, but maybe that's the most simplest meaning of/for this poem?

The Day I Seized...
Complexities of virginity.

From the Photo...
Deep, intense, moving, pregnant with feeling.

Joking about the Pandemic/ They Call the Party...
Relatable.

A Man Makes a Stop Light
Anonymous, blatant public sexual advances. Creepy. Uncomfortable. Disgusting.

Watch Right
Curse of manhood. Everything anyone does, regardless of gender identity, is only ever done for the pleasure/approval of man/men.

Tea in the Museum
Made me recall my own child memories of visiting this museum in the 90s.

Sculpture Study #1
What's the appropriate response to sexual assualt? Whatever the victim chooses!

A Woman to Woman with Mona...
I literally laughed out loud at the "side-eye" Mona Lisa. It's an historical question...is Mona Lisa beautiful or not? As a man, a gay man at that, who am I to define her beauty, or any woman's beauty? But I think that Mona Lisa represents is just an average woman that is easily relatable. What I mean is that a woman could look upon her and be able to judge for themselves whether they see parts of themselves in her. Regardless of race, this is an art piece, and in this painting the viewer male/female will either get it or they won't. It being whatever the viewer feels the artist is trying to convey.

Sculpture Study #2
I loved this quote: "There are ghosts and then there is grief, both asking to be cast out."

Starved
Soulful aching to connect with someone with guttural meaning.

The Ongoing Debate
When I read this I immediately thought back to a course in my undergrad when we discussed an artist who was a mother who used nudes of her children as art, and the criticism they received. I didn't realize that it was Sally Mann until I googled her and realized this was the same artist in reference of this poem. While art certainly is subjective, from my perspective, I still view this "art" as an excuse for child abuse and child pornography. Especially considering Mann's own children expressed their utmost displeasure of their naked bodies being on display, and the comments people would tell them after seeing their nude images in exhibits. Can we separate art from artistry. In this instance, I certainly do not think so. I also did a little more research and was sad to find out Mann's son committed suicide. Although he did suffer from a mental illness, I don't doubt it can be argued that his mother's decision to display his nude body as "art", even against his own discomfort, certainly didn't help his decision to end his life.

They Say Chivalry is Dead...
Uncomfortable. Chivalry is overrated. It's dead because people expect others to know what they expect, and then get upset with the person for not guessing what they expected. I recall a moment in my undergrad when I was holding a door open to a building on campus for a female. She walked through the door and angrily yelled, "I don't need a man to open doors for me." I didn't realize in my kindness, in the way my parents raised me that I was doing something so offensively. I remember how angry that made me because I was trying to be kind. I thought I would never open a door for a woman ever again! And then I thought back to how my parents raised me, and realized this woman was just either a miserable person (which I doubted), or simply a woman who was having a bad day, and I just happened to be a man in her way.

When I say No...
The mirror imagery between the Joker, the man behind the couple, and the actual couple is quite vivid.

Lessons in Grief...
Read/heard this as if I were at a spoken word/poetry slam. Loved every bit of it.

Photography
I appreciated the repetition of each second line. I should know this type of poetry style, but nevertheless, I further appreciated the author's continued use of this style in later poems in this book.

Gesso
The absence of black made me think of black even more.

Water as a Villain...
Pt. 4 Was a beautiful sadness. The woman's pain, and the man's urgency to protect but his empathy made him weak.

In a Picture...
Pain. Loss. Betrayal. Abandoned.

Investigation
Green

Nan's Lover
Trigger trauma warning.

Sculpture Study #3
Dark. Secrets. House. Love terminated.

Tell It Like a Movie...
Powerful uncomfortability.

Resting Bitch Face
Title poem. "Smiling has never brought me tenderness."

My Friend Says...
"...(T)hings are never themselves when you view them from the lens of something else."

Are You Jealous
Wasn't familiar with Gaugin's work/legacy. Had to do research. Not a fan, but his pieces seem to depict the women as somber, sad, longing for something more. Strangely enough a sad boy like me should love this! But I don't. I also love that Byas has incorporated the blackout/erasure poetry style in their work in this poem and later on as well.

Your Husband Says.../When the Therapist...
Dark, sensual, seductive, erotic, and then the flame blows out.

Eavesdropping
Uncomfortability.

Made Over
Literally about Sally Mann again.

Locker Room Talk...
Made me think of Trump's comments, and his many gross abuses as a man, and as the leader of our nation.

Duplex of Lessons
Love. Again with the repeating lines. Loved that. Something about the repetition evolving into the next sentence just makes me feel the words so much more deeply than the way other poems/styles do.

Dry Down
About art but not about art. I think you just get this one, or you don't. If you try to explain it, it loses its meaning, its power, its beauty. Just love this one so much!

Discomfort at the MoMA
"Is red ever flat with its violence." Love this so much. I think it's relatable.

Formal
Beautiful. Sad. Nostalgic. Emotional. Moving.

The cover and title immediately captivated me and I knew I needed this ARC.

As a Black woman* who loves reading poetry by Black women…this became one of my favorite poetic collections of the year.. The authors poetic writing style is exceptional. I felt seen and related to. I would love to listen to the future audiobook for this, especially if the author is the voice actor.

This was artistic, relatable and personal.
I will reread, recommend and suggest to my bookish friends again and again.

This collection is powerful, honest, and beautifully written. The poems are sharp and emotional, with a voice that’s both strong and deeply vulnerable. Some made me stop and sit with feelings I didn’t expect—others made me smile in recognition or admiration.

Byas writes with clarity and fire, and the way she blends personal experience with cultural truth is remarkable. I felt like I was being let into something intimate, and I’m grateful for that.

Highly recommend—this is poetry that teaches, stirs, and shines.

This was such a beautiful set of poems and each one pulls a different feeling out of you .You can tell the author put a lot of real emotion and thought into each poem.