Archon/After

In her frankly feminist ninth collection, Kocher (godhouse) dissects the dangers beneath the male gaze, the specter of which shadows women everywhere. “The latest trend on the app is” features a chilling compendium of phrases men have said to the poet and other women, demonstrating how a supposed compliment can incite fear: “He says, lithe and I am broken for ten more years./ You’re beautiful I hear as a threat, as carcinogen, a concern reclined.” Kocher’s playful and inquisitive approach to language belies a delicate mastery. She captures the subjective experience of a feeling with uncanny accuracy: “I understand what it means to feel jealous./ It’s the possibility of an other-object gushing through the sluices of a/ never-named you.” Elsewhere, Kocher exalts the divine feminine, honoring Louise Glück, Junee Jordan, and a teenage friend named Donna, who imparted wisdom about lipstick: “Donna who teaches me at 14 that magenta belongs everywhere.” These whip-smart and evocative poems derive meaning from both the darkness and the light, drawing readers in with a beguiling intimacy. (Oct.)