Book Review 1 July: camera indomita by Nat Raum

Reviewed by A.R.Arthur

camera indomita by Nat Raum is a chapbook length collection of poetry that facilitates a greater exploration of identity and intersecting facets including queerness, borderline personality disorder, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This collection makes use of a tender, yet valiant poetic reflection that leave the reader deeply entranced by a narrative that seeks to go beyond the page, and indeed, beyond the singular ruminations of the author. Instead, this collection seeks to be a body of work that grants the reader the chance to delve deeper into both the narrator and these intersecting facets and their impact on Raum and others who may not be able to present their own perspectives, their own lived trials and tribulations.

someone probably still has every

single nude i sent them after the bars

closed. after i gulped a full frosty tulip

glass of rail margaritas at last call.

i’ve always been a little afraid of sex,

even before i learned how to fuck

at a woefully young age. am i doing

this right? what if i’m not? & a sip or three

or thirty of something strong is enough

to dull the mortifying ordeal of sharing

flesh with someone else, digitally….

(20)

I particularly appreciated Raum’s reflections on sexuality, sexualism and the presenting of the naked body. Often times, these ideas are made to be so unbreakably sacrosanct to queer identity which can make or break the queer experience. This is particularly evident for the western dominated queer experience and often reflects the over-sexualisation of queerness that many queer identifying individuals, including myself, in the east tend to struggle contending with. The aforementioned extract serves to affirm just how unbelievably difficult, albeit, even scary it can be to be so vulnerable and for that I commend Raum for sharing with us.

then the bay opens wide belly

& takes us in. visceral

horrors grip my body, ecstatic

for an unwilling host. ready

to become us as brackish mass

meets the wheels of a black

sedan, then the body. then there

is no body, only maelstrom.

(26)

It should be noted that Raum makes use of a great deal of metaphor throughout this collection that serves to facilitate not only ruminations of the mind but also, the darkness that can sometimes overtake the light in living. This returns the reader to the themes of borderline personality disorder, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder whilst also suggesting that a sense of struggle in finding oneself, one’s truth as a queer person is ultimately tied to suffering both micro and macro. I found much to enjoy in the sensational word-economy used by Raum which is something I seldom see frequently enough. In an era where over-simplification reigns supreme, I applaud Raum for making use of a mighty diction.

i don’t want to tell people i am a woman—

first of all, it’s partly a lie, at least a half

truth. when you search my body for gender,

you’ll find none. not a drop. there is no

allegiance in my bloodstream nor my brainstem

to the concept as presented…

(43)

camera indomita is a dark, emotive collection of poetry that speaks to suffering lived and overcome. Raum’s words whilst mighty, reflect the often-lonely experience of being queer and overcoming suffering on all fronts. A lovely collection that should be on your summer reading list!

Buy camera indomita here