Manners of an Astronaut: Review

 Over thirty years since its original publication, Shearsman Books has revived Gig Ryan’sManners of an Astronaut to demonstrate a timelessness of dissatisfaction. The collection varies between being grounded in an unsatisfactory relationship and an abstractness representing the speaker’s internal disillusionment. The collection relies upon the sensation of confusion, disjointedness, and a staggering bluntness that leaves the reader both confused and understanding of the speaker’s winding mind. Ryan initially introduces a narrative in the first poem: “In Blue Craft and Two Minds.” She begins with the line “You turn lesbian in the back-seat of the taxi.” The significance of this statement reveals itself as the collection progresses, as this idea of sexual self-discovery and a dissatisfaction with her male partner strengthens in the poems to follow. From then on the collection progresses to reveal the bluntness of a wavering mind by juxtaposing unconventional images and abstract language with sexual undertones and references to addiction issues.

        In her title poem, “Manners of an Astronaut,” Ryan’s cosmic voice proves prominent in this purposefully disjointed narrative. Ryan’s collection depends on this cosmic motif, and the poems are mostly divided into numbered stanzas to add to the sensation of disorientation. However, sometimes the poems rely too heavily upon the sensation of a dream and leaves too much for the reader to string together, like a poetic jigsaw puzzle. The consistent length of each poem often feels repetitive and causes each poem to melt into the next. 
        However, Ryan is unique in her ability to express emotion through the absence of expressed emotion through the reliance on objects to carry that weight, and resembles poets such as Adrienne Rich. But there’s a question of whether this collection holds up since its original publication. In a time of turbulence and politically-driven poetry, Ryan’s repetitive indecisiveness feels slightly out of tune with the urgency of current poetry.