What do you think?
Rate this book
Symmetric of bone : poems after Elsa Peretti
Praise for Symmetric of Bone
Symmetric of Bone is a celebration of our ‘pounding, frivolous heart’, of choosing to live more authentically. We watch the speaker’s queer body move through the world, and they give us permission ‘to produce meaning / elsewhere’, too, to ‘grow’ or ‘remain small / if need be’. This is a subtle but subversive pamphlet, filled with humour and heartache. How lucky we are to have this diamond necklace of a book, to read Cabida’s open heart.
Helen Bowell
These poems are elemental, crackling with heat, alive and finely wrought. Troy Cabida offers a fresh take on poetry in conversation with art and design. Searching for moments of quiet intimacy against the sounds and textures of the city, these poems hold the contradictions of our bodies and our desires: hard and soft, liquid and abrasive. Desire becomes a tactile thing, something you can hold and shape in your hands.
Nina Mingya Powles
Troy Cabida’s exquisite poems counterbalance the formidable presence of iconic jewellery designer Elsa Peretti with the poet’s personal stories of Filipino experience and queerness. These are deeply engaging poems, full of insight, precision, and sensuality. Cabida explores relationships and the elevation of the self, confidence and vulnerability. Cabida’s inventive perspective on Peretti’s elegant designs and the poet’s transformative outlook give the collection an effervescence ‘gleaming / with light.’
Maria Taylor
About Symmetric of Bone
We can't wait for you to read Troy Cabida's new pamphlet, celebrating the design and art of Elsa Peretti.
Inspired by the work of acclaimed jewellery designer Peretti, “Symmetric of Bone” is a lyrical and personal response to art and glamour.
Here, Troy Cabida borrows strength and energy from Peretti's jewellery as he tackles the homophobia, racism, and heartbreak that comes with contemporary urban life.
Symmetric of Bone is a celebration of our ‘pounding, frivolous heart’, of choosing to live more authentically. We watch the speaker’s queer body move through the world, and they give us permission ‘to produce meaning / elsewhere’, too, to ‘grow’ or ‘remain small / if need be’. This is a subtle but subversive pamphlet, filled with humour and heartache. How lucky we are to have this diamond necklace of a book, to read Cabida’s open heart.
Helen Bowell
These poems are elemental, crackling with heat, alive and finely wrought. Troy Cabida offers a fresh take on poetry in conversation with art and design. Searching for moments of quiet intimacy against the sounds and textures of the city, these poems hold the contradictions of our bodies and our desires: hard and soft, liquid and abrasive. Desire becomes a tactile thing, something you can hold and shape in your hands.
Nina Mingya Powles
Troy Cabida’s exquisite poems counterbalance the formidable presence of iconic jewellery designer Elsa Peretti with the poet’s personal stories of Filipino experience and queerness. These are deeply engaging poems, full of insight, precision, and sensuality. Cabida explores relationships and the elevation of the self, confidence and vulnerability. Cabida’s inventive perspective on Peretti’s elegant designs and the poet’s transformative outlook give the collection an effervescence ‘gleaming / with light.’
Maria Taylor
About Symmetric of Bone
We can't wait for you to read Troy Cabida's new pamphlet, celebrating the design and art of Elsa Peretti.
Inspired by the work of acclaimed jewellery designer Peretti, “Symmetric of Bone” is a lyrical and personal response to art and glamour.
Here, Troy Cabida borrows strength and energy from Peretti's jewellery as he tackles the homophobia, racism, and heartbreak that comes with contemporary urban life.
32 pages, Paperback
Published November 18, 2024
1 person want to read
About the author
Troy Cabida
8 books7 followersTroy Cabida is the author of Neon Manila (Nine Arches Press, 2025), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His other works include War Dove (Bad Betty, 2020), Symmetric of Bone (fourteen poems, 2024), and Two Poems (Pearl Home Records, 2025).
He currently works as co-editor for fourteen poems and library assistant for the National Poetry Library.
He currently works as co-editor for fourteen poems and library assistant for the National Poetry Library.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.