A review by jayisreading
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.25

I really enjoyed the playfulness of these poems and Chen’s meditations on his identity, relationships (especially with his mother), and lived experiences. I felt particularly connected to a few of these poems, seeing similarities between me and him, which may explain why I found comfort in this collection. I did feel that the collection started somewhat weak, almost as though he was trying to figure out the flow of things, but the poems got stronger and more cohesive with each section.

Some favorites: “Race to the Tree,” “Talented Human Beings,” “To the Guanacos at the Syracuse Zoo,” “Didier et Zizou,” “Night falls like a button,” “Chapter VIII,” “Nature Poem,” “Song of the Anti-Sisyphus,” and “Elegy to Be Exhaled at Dusk”

Read for the Sealey Challenge.
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