Catrachos
Roy G. Guzmán
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In the collection "Catrachos", Roy Guzmán explores both the alienation of the Honduran diaspora in the US and also the precarious, too often violent existence of queer bodies worldwide. The stunning experimentation and vivid details communicate an aching and sense of melancholy that will enthrall readers. The collection is loosely organized by themes, starting with life in Honduras, then the immigrant experience in Miami, homophobic violence, the xenophobic panoptic state, and a recurring "Queerodactyl" poem that metamorphosizes in each new iteration. Spirituality is a frequent theme but appears as a question: how could a God permit this much violence on Earth? In "[Introductory Rites]", the poet openly remarks "Everywhere in Latin America: robe engulfed children. / We are told our angels are not worth grieving". In "Marrow", the author reflects: "Our countries | anywhere | jawless apertures | ossified cathedrals." Guzmán often draws upon their own working class childhood in Miami to reconstruct vivid memories in part fondly, in part twinged with regret. In "Restored Mural for Orlando" they lament "debt collectors still call us after all these years". The collection's second-to-last poem, "Payday Loan Phenomenology", is a free form narrative about waiting in a parked car for a sleazy, strip mall loan company to open its doors with mom and son promising "this must be the last time." |
Death stalks Guzmán's work; the collection, in large part, is a cemetry or mausoleum of sorts honoring deceased queer bodies, both those dead from mara violence in Central America and homophobic killings in the US. However, there are also lighter, happier moments: a trip to "Macdonel" with their mother after her shift working as a house-cleaner. The joy in a library card—and reading—to escape momentarily from one's surroundings in "Allapattah Branch Library."
A creative and often harrowing look at society's mistreatment of queer Latinx bodies, and their stunning resilience.
A creative and often harrowing look at society's mistreatment of queer Latinx bodies, and their stunning resilience.
Roy G. Guzman is an Honduran poet. In 2016, Roy was the recipient of a Scribe for Human Rights Fellowship, focusing on issues affecting migrant farm workers in Minnesota. That same year, they were chosen to participate in the fourth Letras Latinas Writers Initiative gathering, sponsored by Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies, in partnership with the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and the MFA Program at Arizona State University. Roy returned to Arizona as a Letras Latinas Scholar in 2018.
Catrachos is publication by Greywolf. Click here to purchase.
Catrachos is publication by Greywolf. Click here to purchase.
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