Bijoux in the Dark

Book excerpt: Poetry. Asian & Asian American Studies. At the conclusion of BIJOUX IN THE DARK, John Yau states, "I did not write a hauntingly beautiful book." A line that contrasts with the book's introductory poem, in which hauntings and beauty abound. With all of BIJOUX IN THE DARK, the answer is multifaceted as Yau disavows pretension and expectation and instead heeds a candor beyond categorization. Sonnets and pantoums abound alongside graffiti and Top Ten lists. Yau's work veers from satire, ekphrasis, and homage to imagined histories, surreal dimensions, and Egyptology. The book's list of characters includes Albrecht Durer, Hieronymus Bosch, Francis Bacon, Mark Wahlberg, Donald Trump, Dante, and Meng Chiao. Yet, from this miscellany there comes an ingenious whole deft in its wit and bite. Here John Yau is at home with the quirky and the profound, and any combination thereof.