MISTAKE OF IDENTITY

Kamali’s second book of poetry ruminates on the pressing political and moral issues of our age.

In his debut collection, Kamali presented a series of free-verse poems, many of which explored the concept of “wokeness.” This new offering approaches similar issues regarding social awareness with a particular emphasis on race. The poems or “musings,” most no longer than the text content of a tweet, encourage readers to meditate and revaluate outmoded preconceptions of race and identity. Kamali’s writing is confrontational and probing, with the aim of shaking the reader into a higher state of awareness: “What if it turns out / that by putting group identity / above the individual / you’re still half asleep? / #Wake Up Woke!” Deeply observant of human behavior, Kamali’s distilled writing challenges both mental and physical boundaries: “And have you ever observed / that people belonging to one religion / tend to live in the same region? #Maybe it’s an accident?” Most poems begin with the phrases And what if… or And have you ever wondered. This repeating chime is akin to the strike of tingsha bells in meditation, awakening awareness—although readers may find the recurrence tedious. Those familiar with Kamali’s work will also identify some lines repeated from his debut: “And what if / nations are gangs / and nationalists / gangsters?” Still, Kamali, whose last book was Dog Whistling Dixie Past the Graveyard (2020), provides a thorough dissection of our current political condition; no one escapes scrutiny: “And have you ever noticed / that liberals have lost their belief / in individual liberty? / And that they can only stomach the notion / if it applies to group-based rights?” This is stimulating writing that compels us to challenge deep-set beliefs, but the author’s reliance on repetition may prove an irritation for some.

Provocative and deserving of attention.