Review: Itinerant Songs

Literary Beauty in the Tragedies Around Us
​Review: Itinerant Songs

Desirae Mack

Terra Oliveira
Poetry
Recenter Press pp.75
​Cost: $18.00

Even before I picked up my copy, from brief research, I knew some of the beautifully written subject matter of Terra Oliveira’s new poetry collection, Itinerant Songs, would be incredibly relevant, emotional, and at times hard to digest. Was I wrong? No, but I was wrong in thinking that this might turn me off from the text. Instead, I found the underlying and challenging tones of rawness, pain, and tension to be what make Oliveira’s new collection such a worthy read.

At first, I attempted screenshotting some of my favorite pieces to reference later, but I quickly discovered my camera roll would soon fill with the whole book if I kept up this practice. Further rounds of close rereading solidified that Oliveira’s language is truly powerful, and I struggled to pull only a few quotes to highlight for this review. Broken up into three different sections—“On Work,” “On Country,” and “On Going Home”—the collection’s well-crafted language comes together to tell a compelling story of incredible relevance.

One of the most prominent components of Oliveira’s writing is the imagery she uses to paint pictures evoking strong emotions. One piece that exemplifies this is “Long-Covid (Seattle, 2022).” This poem features hard-hitting lines including “heavy as metal– / our bodies turned hot in the crucible… / I sit in front of them, gasping for air” (lines 14-16).

In combination, these images create a vivid scene of sizzling flesh and fighting to get a good, deep breath. Oliveira manages to bring to life the frustrating struggles many people are still facing in the years following the crazed pandemic. She touches on invasive wildfires, medical negligence, and health mysteries. In such beautiful language, Oliveira sheds light on real tragedies persisting all around us in this piece.

In another poem, “Nurture,” Oliveira daringly highlights the dangers of advancing technology. She builds on the concept of “a people shaped outwardly / by an algorithm / blue light becoming action & flesh” (lines 1-3). I found this imagery incredibly striking as well. I imagine a new type of life that is born bursting through our phone screens, replacing all of humanity. In this piece, we are warned against losing touch with reality within curated digital worlds.

Many would agree this truly has become a sad reality. As Oliveira frames it, “our noses are painted red / & we are looking right over them” (lines 8-9). This is such a gut punch—painting eager and naive users as clowns ironically inflicting their own demise. In being so bold, she challenges us to reflect on our own technological habits before it’s too late.

Later in the collection, Oliveira uses seasonal imagery in “Beginning” to convey the double-edged sword of positive change and growth despite irreplaceable time flying by. The poem opens on how “springtime reawakens / the virtuous fighter in me,” inviting readers to feel inspired too (lines 1-2). She then contrasts how “miracles bloom all around me” with “revolution is a force of demolition as much as it is a blossoming” (lines 7 & 10-11).

Oliveira’s craftful juxtaposition here is effective at emphasizing how positive changes can also bring about collateral damage. Using neutral images of nature to break up heavier content is a frequent tactful move Oliveira makes, giving her room to peek behind some of the darkest shadows. This allows her to keep readers hooked while pulling back more and more layers of raw truth in each piece.

Another strong aspect of the collection is Oliveira’s cultural dialect and Hawaiian roots. A prime example of this lies in, “Nā Kahawai (The Rivers) Of My Great Grandmother, Maude.” Just the title alone gives us a strong sense of culture. She expands:

the u.s.-backed coup, & rivers broken
confluence with the Dudoits,
first of Bretagne, then through Mauritius,
​through O‘ahu, then Moloka‘i (lines 8-11)

Many readers might be unfamiliar with some of these names, as was I. This prompted me to do some research and I learned about smaller Hawaiian islands along with some of their notable figures. This adds so much rich history about the state’s foundation, making me appreciate Oliveira’s nods to her culture throughout. This collection can serve as an opportunity for us to learn more about native Hawaiians, their land, and their culture.

Later, Oliveira also employs quality asyndeton in her poem “In Praise Of.” This poem bridges religious influences with impactful rhetoric. She thanks:

God for the body
& how they dance
as a form of praise,
a form of prayer,
​a form of recognition” (lines 1-5)

The asyndeton at play works well with the parallel structure of lines lyrically satisfying and aesthetically pleasing. It makes us think of all the different things the body is capable of and what it represents.

Woven together, Oliveira’s collection is a tapestry of powerful language and imagery. She unveils an impactful level of rawness and relevancy that bravely tackles current societal issues. She manages to incorporate strong themes of injustice, social tensions, generational roots, technological corruption, and more.

Let yourself get lost, feel angry, and pursue curiosity in the deep themes of Oliveira’s pages. Her work does a fantastic job of reassuring readers that they are not alone in their struggles, feelings, and lived experiences. In a world that’s a dark place right now, Oliveira still manages to shed a beautiful light on some rather ugly, hard-hitting truths. ​