You Have You Father Hard Head

by Colin Robinson

Colin Robinson’s long-awaited debut collection, You Have You Father Hard Head , represents a nuanced but unswerving engagement with desire and intimacy as he explores what it means to be a Caribbean son negotiating the complexities of relationships between men. In poems of generous vulnerability and intimacy, Robinson captures the voice of boys on whose spirits and “hard heads” their mothers live out the memory of their fathers.

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a review, just thoughts.

The book I have was the author's reading copy for an event, and he gave it away after to a friend of mine. In some of the poems are tiny symbols of direction hastily scrawled in pencil.

Reading these poems reminded me of that notion I carry, that *everything* is a poem -each moment that strikes us differently from everyone, when we alone as an individual, got hit hard by a circumstance. While some people continue walking, we suddenly stumble upon words that are blooming, flourishing inside of our minds.

Robinson wrote these, with such an intimacy that we become voyeurs to his mind, his memories, experiences - the things he passed over with his hands and tongue and mind.

He's sharing with us the things that have festered in his mind for years, and he manipulates these creole and English words into some beautiful, stunning and sometimes incredibly coarse imagery.

Worth the read.

[Maiah Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! I felt everything all at once.

This book made me extremely emotional because Colin found the boldest way to be vulnerable and gentle. His boldness had me in tears while simultaneously injecting hope of friendship, love and freedom into me.

These poems are proof that his bravery transcended his advocacy work, it was who he was and who he will be remembered as.

Thank you Colin ❤️

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a gay Trinidadian poet - amazing poems so visceral.