Sandalwood-Scented Skeletons

by Rhea Cawsi Dhanbhoora

When you enter Rhea Dhanbhoora‘s artfully composed universe of these twenty poems, you will find received forms like the pantoum, those in nonce forms, excellent prose poems, and one of my favorite sestinas of this century. You will know that you are experiencing a new master of observation, investigation, and mystery in her poetry. She knows when to be tender with an edge:

Silk scarf stinking of sandalwood
swaying pretty to
hide the smile on my odd face.

and when to be political:

it is not a country I have left behind, but a colony on the brink of extinction.

34 pages, Paperback

Published January 28, 2022

Reviews

[Cawsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection on the unfortunately diminishing Parsi Zoroastrian diaspora.
Weaves you into their lives and lifestyle with her collection of experiences.
Beautifully written, a must read.

[Mahdis Marzooghian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An achingly beautiful collection of poetry about the tragically fading Parsi diaspora. As a Persian who has lived most of her life outside of her birth country, I felt both connected to and separated from what Rhea so beautifully writes about. What a strange feeling — to both deeply understand exactly what she is describing and yet also feel like I know nothing about it all at the same time. I absolutely loved and devoured every word. Rhea is an absolutely beautiful writer — she commands an authority in her writing that will leave you awe-struck.

[Kendra Nuttall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems of Sandalwood-Scented Skeletons tell of family, ancestors, and cultural ties. Rhea's words are enthralling and educational.