Reviewed by Beatriz Copello
Exactly As I Am
by Rae White
UQP
ISBN 9780702265495, Paperback, 136 pages, July 2022
Rae White is a non-binary transgender writer and educator with various awards to their name. Usually, in my reviews I do not mention the gender or the sexual preferences of the poets unless it is relevant to the work I am reviewing. It is relevant in Exactly As I Am because one section of the book is related to issues of gender and sexuality.
Exactly As I Am contains five sections linked by the alliteration of their titles and the ontological themes: “Exclude”, “Exist”, “Exclaim”, “Exhale” and “Exalt”. Each section has a slightly different focus but all of the poems in this collection grab the reader with passion and intensity and immerse them into life, with all its ups and downs, achievements and disappointments, presented through the lens of a young but strong person.
Identity is a set of physical, mental, emotional, social, and interpersonal characteristics that are unique to each of us. It provides a sense of self, belonging and purpose, allowing individuals to navigate the world with confidence, make meaningful connections with others, and understand their place within society, acting as a foundation for personal growth, decision-making, and overall well-being. When the world around you threatens your identity the result can be traumatic but White uses the power of their poetic framing to turn threats and misunderstanding into art.
Exactly as I am is not only well written, but also creative, innovative in form and shape, language and style. The book is post-modernist in its presentation, but also rich with humour, warmth and a deep-seated empathy. A good example of a strong, imaginative piece that feels personal and universal all at once is “Hot, cold”, which invites the reader to linger in abandoned spaces:
I leave clothes at every house
I’m welcomed in to. Shed undershirt in shadowed
wash basket, swap out sock couples from drawers, plant
unsuspecting undies under yours
in the thin light. Bury everything warmly
in the garden soil but with a bright
new leaf jutting out so you can
find me again
I was impressed how vivid and beautifully evocative this poem is. The imagery captures the tender and quasi-ritualistic act of leaving pieces of oneself on another person’s life. The metaphor of clothing as both physical and emotional markers is clever and poignant, conjuring connection, memory and the lingering presence of love and yearning. The rhythm flows naturally with conversational ease while opening up new ways of seeing.
In many poems the poet subtly blends natural imagery with human feelings in a way that converts the personal to the universal. Many of the poems deal with experiences that result of living as a non-binary transgender person analysing poetically the spaces that transgender people are assigned and denied in society. White explores not only gender identity but also gender discrimination and gender euphoria, or the satisfaction or joy caused when one’s gendered experience aligns with their gender identity, rather than with the gender they were assigned at birth.
White’s poetry exudes originality, and their strong voice has a unique perspective which evokes a myriad of emotions in the reader. The imagery is consistently brilliant, as in the second part of “Hot, cold”:
I’m not sorry to say I climbed in
through the window last night to stitch
stockings into your carpet, to splice a new necklace
with your heirloom bracelet. Did you notice
how I dropped one slipper down the side
of the stairwell?
White is a master of poetic structure and form in free verse style. Each poem tells a simple story while also disclosing many deeper meanings both personal and political. Exactly as I am is a masterful book with highly cultural relevance and deeply enjoyable to read.
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, Lo Irrevocable del Halcon (In Spanish), and most recently, The Book of Jeremiah, published in December 2024 by Ginninderra Press. 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.