POETRY COLLECTION REVIEW - “PIG” BY SAM SAX
I first encountered Sam Sax in the early 2010’s on Button Poetry doing spoken word. His unique delivery really drew my attention. He is one of my favorite contemporary poets because he always challenges me to push the envelope with how I craft my own poetry; always inspires me to drop what I’m doing and write. So here I am! Ta-da! Writing this short review out of impetuous envy.
Whether it be his use of devastating line breaks —which reveal hidden facets of meaning— or his eclectic word combinations, I always know I’m going to find something to nerd out on: something to study.
Honestly, that’s just the technical side of things. But the thematic? Oh, the thematic! The title couldn’t be a more blatant indication of what the vehicular motif is going to be: a pig. As Sam states on the back of the book: pig is a word we usually use in conversations about men/masculinity, police/state violence, desire, queerness, Judaism, and global food systems, amongst other things. Without coincidence, these are the themes explored in the book at great length.
Personally, pigs —as a symbol—make me think of systemic exploitation, filth, revulsion, expendability, but not least of all: flavor, societal sustenance, and necessity. A pig —in my mind— represents the slimy foundation of human nature; the reviled villain; the grease that lubricates our flesh-threshing human mechanisms.
The imagery is so disgustingly beautiful that it paradoxically inspires an appetite for more. One can tell the sentences in each poem were edited meticulously until they read clean as a bone. What I’m trying to say is I licked the plate.
If you are a fan of experimental poetry, this collection will send you going wee-wee-wee-wee-wee all the way home (yeah, I said that - I’m corny and I’m getting in the spirit- so what?).
For instance, the collection is split into three parts (like the three little pigs). They are titled Straw, Sticks, and Bricks: a meta game of thematic messaging written between the poems. Furthermore, each of the three parts have a list of pork cuts, products made from slaughtered pigs, and notable excerpts from fictional pigs in culture and media. This highlights how ubiquitous this symbol is.
In terms of experimentation within the poems themselves, we have a poem written with so much sibilance it becomes an incantation to summon a lisp, a poem written in a spiral pattern, multiple choice word selections, and multiple poems in one. As a result, each poem deliberately opens a multiplicity of interpretations. It covers more ground; slathers it with manure to grow your perspective.
There’s so much more I could say but I’ll boil it down to this: I’m just so impressed with this collection. This tops my list of the best poetry books published in 2023. In fact, its just one of my favorites, period. Full stop.
Give him a follow on IG @samsax1
Purchase the book on Amazon or with Scribner Books.