This fascinating collection of poetry showcases Janaka Malwatta’s incredible skill as a poet. Born in Sri Lanka, Malwatta has lived in both England and Australia. His poetry hasbeen published in several literary journals and this is his first full-length collection. He has spent time as a spoken-word poet, performing his poetry out loud, which adds life to his written work. I found myself often reading the poems aloud to myself.

Both lyrical and blunt, and at times tender, Blackbirds Don’t Mate with Starlings came out of the global response to George Floyd’s murder. The collection deals with Australia’s prevalent casual racism in a manner that is both thoughtful and urgent. The poems traverse the past, present and future, calling out Australia’s colonial history. Repeated throughout the collection is a reminder that this colonial past is still very much present in our day-to-day life. Malwatta presents this through fragments of overheard conversations, and stories of often forgotten history.

Malwatta’s style could be encapsulated in the poem ‘I am/am I’, which explores his identities as Sri Lankan, British and Australian through rhyme. ‘I am/am I’ is concise, encapsulating the question – not Malwatta’s question, rather the questions other Australians ask him – which are you? The poem’s rhythm draws together the apparent contradiction of these multiple identities; they exist together in tension and not. Poems such as ‘swastika’ continue this tension, discussing how the meaning of this symbol was colonised. What was to Buddhists, Hindus and Jains a revered symbol is reappropriated as a hate symbol. Malwatta addresses this head-on in a manner that is brilliantly confronting. Overall, whether you think you’d love it or hate it, I would recommend this collection to everybody.

Stephanie King is a bookseller at Readings Emporium.