Sundress reads: River City Fires

River City Fires (Driftwood Press, 2023) by Derek Annis is a succinct voice on the power of humanity and nature. With 23 poems, the chapbook presents themes of migration, memory, religion, and relationships through a mythical story-telling format, which manifests through Annis’ use of lineation and imagery.

The poems illustrate Annis’ upbringing in Spokane Falls, Washington and his different perspectives on the world as he matures. The opening poem, “Manifest,” brings the reader in with its storytelling on themes of nature. Annis writes, “it was the stick / I loved / the cave / the wolves / carried me / scared boy / one humid afternoon,” creating an atmosphere of mystery and awe for the readers (1). The ending of the poem also acts as a call or prayer, where Annis pleads, “god / make death / turn away,” giving readers a hint of themes this book will further explore (3).

The second poem of the collection contrasts with the first in both form but also usage of third person perspectives. As prose poetry, Annis writes, 

“great storms of birds flew into the

fields reflected on picture windows, clapped against the

asphalt with bone-pierced throats. The people of the city

took up shovels, went back to the forest and extracted a

wealth of symbols, which they organized according to

brightness. The symbols were cold. For fear of the dark,

the city kept its eyes open at all times.” (7) 

Here, they illustrate the disjuncture between the city as a body and the bodies of nature conflicting due to greed. This idea of city vs. nature comes back again in “Dysgeusia,” where Annis opens with the words, “The city’s encircled by fire. / The ants are buzzing. / I’ve acquired a rifle from the honeymaker’s son, / who’s late to the wedding” (19). Annis’ portrayal of the city as a space which is attacked, then juxtaposing it with intense images of nature (birds flying into the buildings, ants, etc.) brings forth layers of meaning for readers to ponder and explore.

A large part of River City Fires also explores different ideas of innocence & memory. They start the third poem, “Skin,” writing, “I was a boy with curly / brown hair. I had / all my skin. I wore it / under the stars / like a white dress,” showing the naive state of Annis in his childhood (8). Later on in the chapbook, Annis also solidifies this sense of childhood in the poem, “Potato Salad,” where he writes, “Growing up, the best part of summer / was the family picnic / in the public park” (10). He reminisces on his past of family and community, a deep contrast to the pessimistic view which Annis portrays later on in the chapbook. One example of this pessimism can be seen in “Lullaby,” where Annis writes, 

“I was smoking

in the attic. You entered and untied my face.

Downstairs, our children

cried in cradles

of ice.” (33)  

The poet confronts the harsh realities of adulthood, using the juxtaposition of innocence and disillusionment to underscore the complexity of human experience, inviting readers to contemplate the fragility of memory and the inevitability of loss.

The last poem of the collection, “Agency,” uses mythological storytelling devices to finish off the collection. With lines such as “In the gray flesh of / the sky, a gash opens. The blue children slip into it, calling, / we’re flying, mother. We’re on our way to the sea,” Annis plays with lyricism to give the readers a combination of memory, hope. family, and nature, inviting readers to immerse themselves in a world where beauty and darkness coexist (34). Through his poignant verse and vivid imagery, Annis crafts a chapbook that resonates long after the final poem has been read, leaving an indelible mark on the reader’s psyche.

River City Fires is available at Driftwood Press

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Saturn Browne (she/they) is a Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant and the Connecticut Youth Poet Laureate, East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) Artist in Residence, and the author of BLOODPATHS. Her work has been recognized by Gone Lawn, GASHER, Beaver Mag, Pulitzer Center, Foyle Young Poets, and others. She is an incoming undergraduate student at Yale University.