The Beautiful: Collected Poems

Tea has been called a voice of the queer urban subculture emerging as gay, lesbian and transgender individuals are becoming somewhat more noticed in mainstream media. And this is what this collection of poems seems to be primarily about: Tea's relationship with America which is like that of a codependant woman in a somewhat abusive relationship. In the title poem of the collection, "The Beautiful", she writes as if America is a girl she is dating: "can I process/my bad relationship/with America/can we go to/couple's counseling." In the poem "McDonalds" the girl America takes her money while offering limited choices for spending what she has left: "I ate the burger/because I only had/two dollars/I had three but one/for the bus." Tea's poetic constructions get their in-your-face punch from the short-story narrative style of her poems. As with her other works, the poems vividly illustrate her life experiences and memories. Those unused to her style of combining her compassion with her frankness may view her as offensive or shocking. In her poem "Johns Who Don't Pay Are Rapists" she writes about some of her experiences as a prostitute: "but with a gun that flashes/on the mirrored walls and/what do they do they throw me/onto the bed and/it is about consent". Michelle Tea continues to a be a loud and strong feminist voice for straight and gay women alike.

I was very disappointed to see this collection rated so poorly. If you're expecting "conventional" poetry, this book may not be for you, but there is an intrinsic beauty to her work that is rarely appreciated in literature. Tea's poems are more honest and realistic than most poetry I've studied. "For Zanne For Zanne For Zanne" is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever come across. I was appalled at reading that her poetry does not have much depth, because there is so much behind her words, and I really feel like it depends on the depth of the reader for that to actually sink in. While I would agree it does have a very high school feel to it, that's where the beauty is- it is so streamingly pure. If you can't see the beauty in it, I feel sorry for you, because it is an amazing collection of poems. I would recommend her poetry before any of her novels.

Passionate stories told in poetry form, these tiny gems sparkle on the page. If you're familiar with Tea's other works, you'll see their origins here. Whether she's writing about advice for the lovelorn or life in Tucson and San Francisco, her strong voice comes through. Of course, if you're a reader with a prejudice against poetry maybe you shouldn't venture beyond Tea's prose. But if you have an open mind and love Tea's writing, don't miss this book!

This book of Michelle Tea's poems published previously in chapbook form is a breathless collection of her experiences. Many of them allude to circumstances and people found in her other books, placing the poems within familiarity. Her poems are gripping and fiercely feminist, unapologetic in their honesty. Towards the end, several poems tend to mention writing poems, choosing to honor Tea's reality but losing some of the emotional immediacy for me as a reader. Still the poems are deeply passionate and definitely worth delving into if you are a fan of Michelle Tea's other work.