Can I Be Honest?

Katrina Simmons' Can I Be Honest is poignant and raw. The speaker of these poems draws us near with her vulnerable honesty and bears all as she tries to trace the breakdown and subsequent break-up of a long-term relationship. As her lover begins to grow absent, Simmons verse wells with yearning: "you don't notice the cravings in my eyes, / thirsty as the desert. / Quench me with your love. / Time ticks on, the chasm widens, / fault lines ripping into Grand Canyons."

Even though she can't save the partnership, Simmons learns to untangle herself from the sticky "web of promises" broken, from the "distorted red horns" of guilt, and save herself. In this collection, Simmons gracefully moves between longer narrative lyrics and brief pieces that stun with their painfully clear vision. Transformation burns but Simmons' speaker rises with an inspiringly enduring self-love and independence: "No frills, no maintenance, no shimmer needed. / It's just me-" This book is a comfort. Prepare to be seen.