Christine Horner, copy editor

We all have feelings about the direction that our country is heading toward. Some of us may be cautiously hopeful. Others may be downright pessimistic. Many of us are scared. Personally, I feel as if I’ll break down at any moment. Fortunately, there’s a book to hold us together. Published in 2021, “Worldly Things” by Augsburg professor and poet Michael-Kleber Diggs is a reflection of years past and years to come. 

Kleber-Diggs examines the intricacies of being Black in the U.S. and family ties among other seemingly unrelated themes in this collection of poems. He masterfully weaves these topics together so that each poem can stand on its own and contribute to the book as a whole. One of my personal favorites from this book is titled “Coniferous Fathers.” In it, Kleber-Diggs compares loving fathers to trees that shield their young from the elements. It’s strong yet delicate at the same time like a loving parent or guardian. Reading this poem made me feel as if I was warped back to childhood, being enveloped in my father’s embrace when he picked me up from school. 

Another one of my favorites is the first poem in the collection, “End of Class.” Its messages of fatherhood as an identity aren’t as forefronted as in “Coniferous Fathers.” Kleber-Diggs places us in a scene as if we’re the speaker of the poem, waiting to pick up our child from middle school. We witness our daughter’s classmate being detained by police. As this young Black boy sits in a cop car, we feel anger and desperation for his predicament. Our daughter hops in the passenger seat and tells us that he’s a nice boy who got into trouble. Kleber-Diggs directs our attention not just to the boy’s unfortunate circumstances, but to the systems of oppression that put him there. We as readers recognize the poet’s anger at these systems, and we share his anger.

Another poem that touched me deeply is “Ode to My Mother’s Face.” The imagery in this poem is so delicate and beautiful that it inspired me to write a poem about my own mother. Kleber-Diggs compares his mother’s face to a sentence, referencing punctuation marks and grammatical concepts as a metaphor. This poem reminds me that no matter how much time passes, I will always see my mother the same way: as a guide and caretaker. I think this concept is true for many of us with mothers, regardless of the relationship one might have or not have with her. Our impressions of our moms can remain static for many years.
Reading this book will help us see America, Kleber-Diggs and ourselves in a perspective that is fresh and new. At the same time, it represents the history and condition of our society. I cannot recommend it highly enough — it’s no wonder it won the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize.