Reviewed by Saphia (Rin) Harbison
Life is different for everyone, although we share joy and pain, as expressed in Hardly Creatures by Rob Macaisa Colgate. Hardly Creatures is the first full-length poetry book by Rob Macaisa Colgate, which was published by Tin House in 2025. Rob Macaisa Colgate received an MFA in poetry and critical disability studies, which is seen when reading this poetry collection. This poetry collection is abstract, with many different types and forms of poems that fit with what each one is about, keeping the story flowing in a way that is unique. Hardly Creatures deals with themes of disabilities, neurodivergence, queerness, and community.
The poetry collection is set up as an art museum that the reader can explore, seemingly entering different rooms of the story, in whichever order they choose. Toward the beginning of the story, there is an access legend with different symbols, such as one meaning trigger warnings, so that readers know what they are getting into when they start each poem. The different symbols make the poems seem more accessible, like sensory rooms in a museum that also display another aspect of life with a disability. In addition to that, this adds an idea of reader interaction to the poems that many stories do not have. By doing this, the collection is establishing an idea of community, which is also seen throughout certain poems. This story also grapples with the idea of existence, specifically with a disability, in a way that is raw and true, by showing both the bad and the good.
This collection covers a wide range of disabilities, ranging from physical to mental, and portrays unseen disabilities. It also shows how people feel internally and how people feel toward others when dealing with these aspects of their lives. Day-to-day life with a disability is portrayed in these poems, as well as the way others feel toward people with disabilities. The poem also covers being queer with a disability, and the experiences that people have. Some poems show how the narrator’s partner cares for him, and how he is supportive, while others talk about intimacy and the struggles that come with it. It also shows how it can be straining on a relationship, while portraying that there are people who will love people with a disability regardless of it.
Community is very prominent in this collection, as many poems show how people lean on each other for support and show up in times of need. Some poems show how the narrator’s partner is always there for him, while others show friendship between people with disabilities and how understanding they are with each other. The poems go into specific details about what they do to support each other and how meaningful these connections are. The rooms of the museum also bring a certain intrigue to this collection. It starts in the entryway, then moves to the access guide, where the different icons and sensory symbols that are used throughout the story are explained.
The next room is titled Medical Portraits, which has a big focus on disabilities and the medical needs that surround them. The next room is Ecologies, which focuses on nature and disabilities, as well as the nature of disabilities. The next room is the Audiovisual Room, which features unfiltered poems and translations of works into what they really mean, as well as what they sound like in people’s minds. The next room is Fine Art, which has a higher focus on the body and intimacy. The next one is Community Records, which focuses on community, relationships, friendships, and family, and what that looks like when living with a disability. The last room is titled Exit: Gift Shop and Vestibule, which focuses on the joys of living and why people should stay alive.
Another thing about this collection is that it manages to bring the main ideas into modern culture by mentioning popular memes, trends, and influencers. One poem revolves around the different videos that someone would see on social media, and the role that has with disabilities, connecting with a younger audience. These poems cover the pains, as well as the joys, of living in an unfiltered way. Hardly Creatures shows what it is like living with disabilities in a way that is new and unique, and evokes emotion with every poem.