In poems that capture the complexity of life as a transitioning Xicanx in a tumultuous Texas climate, SG Huerta's Burns balances the intrinsically human need...

In poems that capture the complexity of life as a transitioning Xicanx in a tumultuous Texas climate, SG Huerta's Burns balances the intrinsically human need for connection with the struggle to love oneself. Vivid images of half-empty bottles of testosterone gel and charred vegan grilled cheese form the backdrop for explorations of identity, orientation, grief, and an absent father across the full landscape of what it means to live. Embedded in a complicated family and pressures of assimilation, Huerta straddles liminal spaces with these poems: "I want to write / a queer poem without his ghost / reading it over my shoulder." Through sonnets, stream-of-consciousness, and lyrical narratives, Burns balances internal conflict and societal expectation. Anyone who has overshared with a cashier out of longing for a flash of acknowledgment across another's face will know the unresolved grief, love, and limitless self-discovery smoldering throughout Burns.