Field Guide for Accidents: Poems

by Albert Abonado, Mahogany L. Browne (foreword)

SELECTED BY MAHOGANY L. BROWNE FOR THE NATIONAL POETRY SERIES

An irreverent poetry collection that wrestles with questions of family, mortality, cultural history, and identity from the Filipinx-American experience

"you showed him your teeth, you dared him to look into your mouth to see the metal bands straightening your jaw into an American smile."—from Field Guide for Accidents

Born in the United States to Filipino immigrants, poet Albert Abonado is no stranger to the language of periphery. Neither wholly “American” nor Filipino, Field Guide for Accidents’s speakers are defined by what they are not white enough to be born in America, not Asian enough to feel at home in the Philippines. Abonado’s poetry illuminates the strange and surreal in domestic routine, suturing wounds of love, grief, and the contradiction of being Filipinx-American, two identities bound with a hyphen that resists negation. What results is a growing exposure to a world mired in paradox.

The poems in Field Guide for Accidents experiment with the constraints of the poetic line, shaping forms that exhume what tend to haunt us in the silence. In Field Guide for Accidents, memory becomes augmented with the imaginary; suspicion collides with superstition, while spirituality crosses paths with scientific fact. A mother returns to her son as a boat. A stew is prepared with blood yet masked as chocolate. The living eat with the dead in memories built like houses. Mythic, bloodthirsty creatures in Pinoy folklore prey on an exhausted poet. Research conducted in hindsight provides new avenues to explore regret.

For many third-culture kids of the Asian-American diaspora, there is no such thing as a success story for “fitting in.” What matters more is finding where you belong. Spooning images from hand to mouth, the poems in Field Guide for Accidents struggle with what it means to consume and be consumed by American culture.

Genres: Poetry

104 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2024

Reviews

[Laura T]

A river of poems.

Abonado always seems to write the kind of poems that make you write poems. Always so good.

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you to the author of this poetry collection, Albert Abonado, the publisher, and Goodreads for the privilege of winning in a giveaway. I thought this was a very heartfelt and vulnerable book of poetry that made me stop to think several times. The poems are interestingly constructed and the stories that are told are heart wrenching, as you learn about the pain of the author seeing his family go through something traumatic. The metaphors are beautiful and touching, but some I just couldn’t exactly understand. It’s okay though, because I still felt the general vibe and I think understood what the author had to say. There’s a lot to unpack and think about in this collection, from colonization and racism to love and loss. For the author, these are all wound together, and these poems feel like an attempt to make sense of it. I enjoyed it, and would recommend to those who enjoy thoughtful and engaging poetry.

[Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Al's second collection of poetry (his first being Jaw, published in 2020), and it is truly something to savor.

Abonado writes with scrutiny about his Filipino identity, his immigrant parents, and the challenges of growing up with a (non-white) dual-identity in America. America, which, "at the airport asks for the name of my tribe, compliments me for the Vietnam in the poems another man read. An honest mistake. Haha. This is the burden of my America. To transform. To become invisible. America does not acknowledge this. They need more proof besides my imagination. Where is my paperwork?"

Abonado writes with heart about aging into the caretaker role that so many of us are familiar with. An accident - a parent falls asleep at the wheel - leads to so many worries and questions. The trauma of needing to parent the parents who will not allow it. The grief and terror of watching decline... I know it well. These are the moments that most resonated with me...

"Do not research the survival rate of care accidents. Do not compare age groups. Do not watch videos about brain injury, spinal injury, and the amputation of limbs. Do not text your brother to see if he is up. He will not be. Do not remember all the moments their eyelids grew heavy. Do not promise that next time, you will be the one to drive."

And finally, Abonado writes with insight about feeding minds and bodies. The food that makes a place home. Fantastic dreams about bloodthirsty creatures from Filipino folklore. Memories of a dish of pork blood and rice - call it chocolate meat, to hide from the kids what it's really made from. A mouth, and teeth, and a stomach - things that help you relish and navigate your world, are also things that may devour you.

There is so much to dig into and unpack. The poems are unique in form and substance, each one creating something brand new on the page. I cannot speak highly enough of this book.

Also, thank you to Al for coming to my book club's meeting in December! We so loved learning about your writing process, and hearing you read a piece from the book.

[Deena Lipomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First person narrative poems talk about his parents' immigration from the Philippines, spicy and sweet foods, and many references to teeth. Broken up into five sections, with part 3 completely being the lengthier poem named after the book's title, this collection of work contains various style and topics, but overall relates to family, identity, and feeding minds and bodies. Part 3 delves into sleep, memories, exhaustion, and a car accident his parents were in when they fell asleep at the wheel. It combines so much, but reads smoothly in its unique form. A slim volume to savor.

[Alicia Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Selected for the National Poetry Series by Mahogany Browne, Abonado's collection vacillates between the irreverent and the sublime. Poems on family, Filipino identity, trauma and self all coalesce into something greater than their parts. I read a lot of poetry, and rarely do I come across a poem that literally, viscerally takes my breath away, but when I finished the poem "On the History of the Line" I was shook. In a good way.

[Courtney Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, very powerful book. Loved that the poems were broken into sections and shared themes. Loved that he showcased a few different poetry formats. Loved that he even played with text formatting. I think this would be a great book for someone who swears they don’t love poetry because how could you not love the first three half’s? Really good!

[Courtney Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher last year and unfortunately didn't get around to reading it until now. I wish I had read it earlier. This poetry collection was absurd and bizarre and lovely; a great insight into the Filipino-American experience.

[Kat O · Rating 4 out of 5]

met the author after reading. he's adorable. loved hearing about his writing process. not all of the poems landed with me but I'm general I liked it. beautiful cover