A Sinking Ship Is Still a Ship: Poems

by Ariel Francisco, José Nicolás Cabrera-Schneider (Translation)

In Ariel Francisco’s Miami, invasive lionfish are sympathetic creatures, the beach succumbs to sea-level rise, and “305 till I die” is a cry for help. The speakers in these hilarious and melancholy poems depict a rich and varied emotional landscape that mirrors that of the state they long to leave, dead or alive. They imagine themselves standing on ocean garbage patches, contemplate the crabgrass on traffic medians, and envision the new beauty of a submerged Miami Beach: “Famed art deco replaced by fire coral / and colorful parrot fish, neon lights / restored by pulsating swarms of moon / jellyfish, lit up like a Saturday night.” In one moment the strange becomes familiar, only to become strange again in the next stanza. Taking inspiration from Campbell McGrath and Richard Blanco, among others, Ariel Francisco’s second book of poems deals with climate change and the absurdities and difficulties of being a millenial Latinx in the Sunshine State.

En el Miami de Ariel Francisco el invasor pez león es una criatura simpática, la playa sucumbe al aumento del nivel del mar y el «305 hasta la muerte» es un grito de ayuda. El hablante en estos poemas divertidos y melancólicos describe un panorama emocional rico y diverso que refleja el deseo de partir, vivo o muerto. Ellos se imaginan parados en una isla de basura en medio del océano, contemplan el garranchuelo en la mediana y aprecian la nueva belleza de un Miami Beach sumergido: «El famoso art decó remplazado por el coral de fuego / y el pez loro, las luces de neón / restauradas por palpitantes nubes de medusa / luna, que alumbran como sábados en la noche». En un momento lo extraño se convierte familiar para volverse extraño de nuevo en la siguiente estrofa. En el segundo libro de poemas de Ariel Francisco toma inspiración de Campbell McGrath y Richard Blanco, entre otros. Aquí, Ariel Francisco trata del cambio climático, y los disparates y dificultades de ser de un Latinx de la generación del milenio en el Sunshine State.

Genres: Poetry, Latinx

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Bio: Ariel Francisco is the author of All My Heroes Are Broke (C&R Press, 2017). A poet and translator born in the Bronx to Dominican and Guatemalan parents and raised in Miami, his work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Academy of American Poets, The American Poetry Review, The New Yorker and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn

Reviews

[Elliott Turner]

3.5 stars - a mesmerizing collection of poems that range from haikus to much longer freeverse about living in Florida, more specifically Miami. A sense of impending doom - global warming and sea level rise - pervades most poems, but not gloom. Francisco has a keen eye for the five dollar detail and great sense of humor.

[Jeannette]

Francisco's latest is a collection of poetry centered around life in Florida. It contains the things that make it ridiculous, the things that make it sad, the things that make it thought-provoking. In other words, he captures what makes it Florida. In some ways, it reminded me of living there in the way I alternately felt amused and melancholy as I read. Along with those reminiscences, I greatly enjoyed reading the Spanish translations of each poem. It wasn't just interesting to see the poems translated and how that affected their meanings. It also drew my attention even more to the choices made in the English poems. Looking forward to revisiting this collection.

[Caitlin]

Ariel captures that classic and deeply relatable blend of melancholy and humor that will speak to many readers. I appreciate how approachable this collection is while still being so deliberate and meaningful. The poems are honest and layered, my only regret is that I cannot read the Spanish versions.

[Simon]

Elegiac and deeply pessimistic, but beautiful in its mourning.

[Madeleine Barnes]

I love this book with all my heart.

[Courtney LeBlanc]

I liked this collection of poems though I felt many lacked the emotional depth to really pull the reader in. Short, succinct poems that focus on Florida and everything that state includes.

from Spring Break Fever: "Soon there will only be room / enough for people to stand side by side / facing the ocean's onslaught like those / blindfolded before a firing squad, / and still they'll say how nice it is to visit, / how beautiful all that water."

from Sinking City: "drowning out the sound of taking / on water--but no, not lost, / the sea knows exactly where it is."

from Translating My Dad's Love Poems: "his words my inheritance, / dim foreshadowing--he writes Today / I will not think of you, // Today I will / not think of you, Today I will not / think of you.",

[Natalie T.]

Brilliant, evocative, occasionally hilarious, and unforgettable, Ariel Francisco's poems record ephemeral moments in doomed, beloved Miami . . . bits of life and lives otherwise unnoticed, suddenly catching the light. Keepsakes. "I'm in search of any kind of permanence," Francisco confides in "Poem Written in the Parking Lot of a Tattoo Shop While Waiting for My Appointment" (page 133). "Nothing stays in this world--it is known--/yet I too will bleed in foolish defiance."

Particular favorites of mine: "Eating Dinner Alone at the 163rd Street Mall," "Don't Ever Come to Florida,""For the Man Being Arrested in the Alley of the Airport Diner," "My Mom Tries to Convince Me to Buy Her a House,""Morning After Hurricane Irma,""And on the 7th Day God Said: 'You Made It, Bro!'", "For Luis,""Reading Hart Crane in Naples,""Another Sleepless Night."

Francisco's titles often locate the precise source of his inspiration, but hats off for this gem which is a poem in itself: "I Want to Be as Free as the Hubcap That Just Fell off My Tire on the 826 and Traversed Four Lanes of Traffic Unscathed." Don't we all, bro.

Read any Francisco you can find--he's a genius.

[Rachel Tiebauer]

Um, hello, this is incredible. What a work of art. Wow.

I know Florida, especially the Florida Ariel describes. The claustrophobia and aura, wildlife and traffic. And wow, how much I relate to his vision, to this sinking mossy beautiful monster, the depressed filter of his scenes. Wow. Wow.

Ugh I can’t get over this book!! I’ve read Ariel in The New Yorker, but so few poets can hold up an entire collection—usually their work splinters apart, or they get repetitive and silly. This is not the case with Ariel.

My favorites were “Sinking City,” “For Luis,” (also devastating, tragic) “Smoking a Dead Friend’s Cigarette,” and “Ha, This One’s About Insomnia Too.”

This is a fantastic book. I got the bilingual version so it was fun to read each poem’s Spanish counterpart, too.

Anyway. Please read this book. It’s great!

“.....All thought drowns/eventually, whether in mind or in/the shallows....”
^Ahh, Ariel. You’re amazing.

I’m definitely going to be checking out his previous book, and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

[Casper]

Ah, I loved this collection. 52 poems with the Spanish and English translation side-by-side. It’s split into two parts, and each feels well-contained. Francisco talks about mundane experiences in ways that make me feel invested. These experiences, like cars breaking down on the interstate or preparing to get a tattoo can, when handled poorly, bore me in poetry. Here, I found myself re-reading. The way he talks about his home and the environmentalist themes he tackles in some of his pieces is refreshing! It’s also rare for me to find poetry genuinely funny in a way that doesn’t take away from the literary value I assign it, but Francisco manages to be humorous while still sharing insightful moments and experiences.

There is a lot of discussion, here, regarding water and life and insomnia. The poetry ranges in length and style, and most of it is free verse. The titling is creative, too- I get a kick out of a long title that leads into a poem.

[JB]

Seems petty not to give a book this good five stars, but the problem with writing that often borders on real greatness is it makes you notice the times it doesn’t. These aren’t bad: there are no bad poems in this volume. They’re just not nearly as good as the overabundance of excellent material, and so they stick out. Is that fair? Not sure: seems unlikely. Anyway, I like the lesser poems too. This is a tidy, effective volume that strikes home even with weaker pieces, but the abundant strong poems here are the kinds of things that made me stare into space a while after reading them, trying to feel their totality. Hell of a book.

[Alejandra Martinez]

Hurricanes, sea-level rise and alligators. Do you know who I’m talking about?

Yup, Miami.

Oh, Miami! How I miss you and all your flaws. This book made me nostalgic for the magic city — where I lived for two years. If you haven’t been there, only if you visit, you’ll understand Miami’s hypnotic allure.

I enjoyed ready this collection of mostly dark and silly poems about the futre that lies ahead for sinking Miami and the lives of the people caught in its currents.

[Deon Robinson]

I’ve followed Ariel Francisco first on Twitter and it’s been a treat to watch his second full length collection and third come out. He writes personable place poems, his voice and images leave you with such a sense of wonder. This was his first bilingual collection and I was able to (in the best of my ability) share these poems with my Mom and bond over the translation. Cant wait to pick up his third collection!

[Josh Dale]

A SINKING SHIP IS STILL A SHIP is not the lavish cruise ship you dream to be part of. It is a small, weathered yacht that is scarred with multiple trips around the gulf. You laugh, you cry, you sit in your chair and let the salty breeze overtake you. But all in all, you find peace. One of the most accessible and profound poetry books I’ve read to date.

[Skyler Jaye]

There's a mournful and humorous feel to these poems that will have you picking up this collection again and again, where you get to revisit the home Ariel Francisco made of Florida for anyone who witnesses this gorgeous collection, no matter where they're from.

This is a collection of poems you do not want to miss out on.

[Eric Cartier]

I recently listened to the poet read one long poem and immediately purchased this book from him. These older poems are far less entrancing, though, and don't work especially well on the page or aloud. I hope the strength of his newer poem is evident in others alongside it in a forthcoming collection.

[Meagan Cahuasqui]

The most succinct way to review this is by saying what an absolute mood. He really captures the essence of Florida and the weird relationship we from the state have with it. And that sardonic tone is just *chef's kiss*. Full review coming soon

[Christopher Alonso]

I might be biased here as a Miami native. Ariel Francisco's poems observe and capture the mundane and the danger of Miami's past, present, and future all while giving readers a glimpse into the lives of people caught in currents.

[KT]

I highly recommend this poetry book. Ariel is a poet who is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching. No more needs to be said - the poems speak for themselves.

[Sonja]

A really fine book of poetry both in Spanish and English. Really enjoyed it

[Racquel]

Beautiful poems.

[Chase!]

“When waves reach my / home, I’ll make a raft of the door.” A Sinking Ship is Still a Ship by Ariel Francisco contains multitudes - the earth, the sky, the ocean, and the edges between them; insomnia; the poets who have died & we cannot stop reading... The quote is from "Harvest Moon--The Tide Rises Almost to My Door"; the already powerful "Spring Break Forever" (which opens the collection) takes on new resonances these days.

[Kayleigh Dugger]

my favorite poems:
Ruins of Earliest Church in America Discovered in Florida
Jack Kerouac in Florida, 1957
Morning After Hurricane Irma
Poem Written While Waiting Too Long at a Red Light
Watching Planes Take Off In Late Evening While High On Shrooms
Paul Celan Floated in the Seine For Eleven Days Before He Was Found
Poem Written in the Parking Lot of a Tattoo Shop While Waiting For My Appointment

[Amelia Badri]

I enjoyed every single poem in this book and went back to reread some of my favorites for writing inspiration. Even if you're not a poetry lover, these will still make you laugh and think and wanting more.

#305tilIdie