Perennial Persian Pictures

As Mohammad Nabi Tavallaei shows in his new collection, Perennial Persian Pictures, poetry doesn't have to be pretty to be powerful. So many nice, placid poems have helped lull readers into a sense of complacency. Tavallaei pushes back against overly idyllic and pastoral verse with a series of poems that force you to take notice of the harsh truth of the world. It is only when you fully comprehend others' suffering that you can begin to work toward a solution.

Tavallaei understands this all too well. His childhood and adolescence in the Middle East exposed him to the cruelties of dictatorship, war, and societal turmoil. He was not afforded the luxury of looking past such suffering, and his work shows the startling images his experiences imprinted on his mind. His words are a heartbroken love letter to his hometown of Shiraz, Iran, and a cry for reconciliation.

Tavallaei's work may evoke some of the worst experiences the world has to offer, but these poems aren't meant to inspire only outrage or compassion. They also show the joys of the human experience and emphasize the importance of connecting with other people.