Reviewed by Beatriz Copello
Manuali’i
by Rex Letoa Paget
Saufo‘i Press
May 2024, Paperback, 94pgs, ISBN: ISBN 978-0-473-70989-1, $30nzd
Do you want to read a poetry book that is different, fascinating, well-written and culturally rich? If you answered yes to this question you need to buy and read Manuali’i by Rex Letoa Paget. Letoa Paget is of Samoan and Danish descent and born in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In the short biography of Letoa Paget states that he is a “fa’afamatama crafter of words”. This is a Samoan term that roughly translates to transgender male, or in the manner of a man. Later, reading his poetry I fully understood the meaning. The women in his family have been very important for him, notwithstanding the influence of Letoa Paget’s father.
Manuali’i contains three sections, “Icarus”, “Elysian Plains” and “Featherweight”. I was impressed by the variety of styles of poetry and settings in this book, and its post-modern quality. Amongst beautiful illustrations by Teina Tutaki are poems set as paragraphs, lists, lines scattered on the page, no capital letters, poems set on the right hand side of the page, no poem titles on the actual poem and other unusual details. What I appreciated most about this book was the richness of the poetry with its combination of striking imagery, profound thoughts, subtle spirituality and cultural complexity.
Some of the poems are just moments in time, no chronology, beginning or end. The poet allows the reader to enter his world, see what he sees and feel what he feels. Nature and love permeate the work. The poetry flows with a great rhythm, even in poems with simple lines as in the following poem “Often” which works best read aloud to hear the musicality of the words’ arrangement:
buy bed sheets the colour of her birthday dress.
the one that met her saltwater body with hues
she blushed after she asked what I thought of her.
close to 3am.
traffic lights blur eyes.
car crash on a northern highway.
beer bottles wind chime outside.
time slows
laying nose to nose
my hands
hold it close
my fingers
read her veins
daughter on ancient lyrical rains
settle her name in the eyes of storms.
eucalypt and gold dust stick to her skin.
everything I am is built from Country. she whispers.
and everywhere is birdsong.
Many of the poems are about the loss of love and grief as well as a life that encountered many difficulties but found its path and flourished. In many of the poems we encounter evocative portrayal of love and longing with vivid imagery and emotional depth. Letoa Paget utilises very creative metaphors:
my love.
these letters spell themselves.
sorry will never be enough.
you threw me away
i waited every week on the kerb
pulled stitches from my chest
only to wake up blue lipped
scraping mussels from my flesh.
i didn’t know how else to love you.
i ran through sideway rain
in my best dress shoes
no umbrella
for an 8 am bus I knew I’d miss.
we picked daisies in your yard
spring draped your neck
my eyes never left
your smile as you set
a crown upon my head. (“You said I Was Magic”)
In this poem the poet so beautifully captures the essence of fleeting moments and the beauty of simple, everyday experiences. The strong imagery conveyed in the poem evokes a sense of nostalgia and the transient nature of relationships and memories. Many of the poems in Manuali’i explore emotional connections, combining vivid imagery with mood and atmosphere. Manuali’i is a wonderful first book of poetry, beautifully crafted.
About the reviewer: Dr Beatriz Copello is an award-winning poet, she writes poetry, fiction, reviews and plays. The author’s books are: Women Souls and Shadows, Meditations At the Edge of a Dream, Under the Gums Long Shade, Forbidden Steps Under the Wisteria, A Call to the Stars translated and published in China and Taiwan, Witches Women and Words, No Salami Fairy Bread, Rambles, Renacer en Azul and Lo Irrevocable del Halcon (In Spanish). Copello’s poetry has been published in literary journals such as Southerly and Australian Women’s Book Review and in many feminist publications. The author has participated in international conferences, has taught Creative Writing at W.S.U. and other scholarly institutions, she has read her poetry at Writers Festivals and other poetry events in Australia and overseas. Copello is mentioned amongst the forty “most notable people” graduated from the University of Technology.