Review: Domestic Bodies by Jennifer Ruth Jackson

Reviewed by A.R.Arthur -Editor in Chief, Fahmidan Journal

Domestic Bodies by Jennifer Ruth Jackson is a daring debut collection of cacophonous poetry that educates as much as it entertains and engrosses the mind of the reader. Centred on a narrator who has been disabled since birth, this collection speaks to the reader who does not know the suffering, the resilience and continuous self-growth associated with being disabled and finding space in a world so overwhelmingly ableist.

As a chronically ill writer, I personally empathised with this collection for its honesty and strength of narrative and craft that can be seen throughout each and every poem within.

Some themes embedded within include; cancer, family and death amongst others that serve as undercurrents for the overarching thematic focus of disability and strength and fortitude in the face of obstacles multifaceted. I was particularly impressed by the lyricism present within these poems.

This is the door to your mother’s voice.

Don’t open it at work or ink and mascara

will smear together on your paperwork.

…..

Black lines in the newspaper reduce

her technicolor life into a logline.

You only wake to remember she’s dead.

(15)

Perhaps most powerful about this collection is Jackson’s unique ability to construct a world of vibrant, bold emotion that centres not only the authorial intent, but the reader at its core. This allows for a sense of sustained, well-planned readability that is seldom seen. The use of both metaphor and juxtaposition both in the aforementioned extract and at large makes this collection a treat to behold, truly.

I'm at the edge, the Earth rendered flat by misgivings.

A mass shows on my CT scan. Sky, an abutment to our reality,

seems small. Voice of an electronic god urges me to practice Zen:

Hold your breath. As if I could do anything else in between tests.

(32)

Jackson’s ability to be vulnerable, to be open despite the great plethora of emotions that arise from these interactions is particularly sensational in that it allows the reader to grasp the fullest extent of the lived experiences that make this collection whole. Further, the reader is invited not to pigeon-hole and label but instead, to be open to learn more, to understand more.

The Word is “Disabled"

Yes, I am that cripple with callused

knees and suede-soft soles,

with two focused eyes, though only

one can be steered straight at a time.

I am that gimp you give glares to like candy

when you ram your cart into me. My fault?

For existing, I pay a higher tax than you.

Stairs keep me out of businesses more than locks.

I am that wheelchair, no name or gender

when you talk about the space I take

that you could have.

(56)

I chose to embed the extra above because it highlights two dual fold areas; the ableism that makes those who are disabled suffer for no reason at all other than wanton, flagrant ignorance and, latterly, the de-humanising nature of being disabled that is placed on the disabled by the able bodied. The ignorance, the othering and the ostracization both overt and covert is something stark and ghastly and for Jackson’s inclusion of this reality within this collection, I am grateful.

Domestic Bodies is an important collection of poetry that acts to set the narrative and reclaim identity beyond the isolating nature of able-bodied society. This is a collection that will stick with me and I am sure will with you as well. A genuine must read!

You can buy Domestic Bodies: here