“But what is life if not an endless juggling of debts”

A review of David Armand’s latest chapbook Poverty.

David Armand’s chapbook, named Poverty, is filled with poetry that feels honest and full of tender heartache as it explores the connection between poverty and familial wounds.  

The chapbook opens with the poem “Poverty.” Detailed images of broken appliances in the yard, plywood walls and a busted Chevy set the scene and tone of Armand’s early life. 

Armand takes the memories he has of his childhood and brings them to life with his poignant and vivid descriptions, inviting readers to relive those exact memories with him. From fathers lighting cigarettes on electric stove tops, grandmothers hiding bourbon and kids receiving a deflated rubber ball as a Christmas gift, hard truths make their way through each stanza.

It’s not all sorrow in this chapbook, though; the poem “Bloom,” one of my personal favorites, shares the memory of Armand planting a wisteria tree with his mother’s ashes. It is a moment that allows him to reconnect with his biological father. A moment of loss for Armand converts itself into a chance for connection.

David Armand writes with a full heart that is haunted by the struggles of loss, poverty and family. Readers are reminded of the intertwined lines between resilience and conflict that can plague the mind of a person. Sometimes the smallest or biggest thing, like snow in Louisiana, can simultaneously reawaken a memory and bring peace to one’s heart and mind. 

This chapbook is Armand’s third that has been published with Blue Horse Press. His two previous chapbooks are titled The Deep Woods and Debt. He has also written a full-length poetry collection called The Evangelist, which was published by Mercer University Press.

The title of this review is from the poem “Poverty,” which readers can find at the beginning of this chapbook.