First, I am in love with this cover, I feel like I find something new in the symbolism every time I look at it.
Strange to read Whitehead's earlier published work after the later books.
Feels like, as a poet, he is exploring/experimenting with styles, personal voice. I'll admit some entries seemed a bit impenetrable, but then we've covered the fact I'm beginner-level when it comes to interpreting poetry.
Identified a number of themes that recurr in his books: around bodily autonomy; indigenous rights and traumas (i.e. residential schools, sixties scoop, missing and murdered indigenous women and Two-Spirit people); confronting racism; sex work; queerness; Two-Spirit identity.
Stand outs for me: Re(z)erving Paradise, Mihkokwaniy
⚠️ body image issues, ED, references to mental health(?), suicidal ideation (?), SA