RaveTupelo QuarterlyDiaz’s poems adroitly reflect on her own journey of discovery toward something akin to truth. But she makes no revelatory assumptions about what this truth is. Nothing within her stunning collection is meant to be unveiled—no attempts at profundity. Diaz’s goal, or so it seems, is to accept—not to try and makes sense of it all. She does suggest we are in control of our stories, that what we imagine becomes real ... Ultimately, Natalie Diaz’s collection is a reminder that compassion is a requirement for life. And though Diaz’s journey is uniquely hers, the lessons within Postcolonial Love Poem are widely applicable, if not universal. We are the dirt in ourselves and each other. We are also the water that will wash it all away.
