"Nothing Left To Do: A Review of Romana Iorga's 'Temporary Skin'" by Katelyn Mayer

Romana Iorga’s Temporary Skin (Glass Lyre Press, 2024) is a collection of 51 poems interweaving themes of loss, identity, memory, and simply existing. The poems not only relay themes but also are comprised of personal experiences and found imagery. Each piece reveals layered meanings and emotional resonance. Nature plays a very dynamic role across the collection, serving as an agent for emotional expression and thematic development.
Iorga is also the author of a chapbook, a woman made entirely of air (Dancing Girl Press, 2024). She was born in Chisinau, Moldova, and earned a BA in Romanian and English Literature from the University of Bucharest and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota. She has also written two books of poetry in her native Romanian, Auz simplu (Semne Press, 2000) and Poemul sosirii (Glasul Press, 1996). Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Nation, Lake Effect, New England Review, Salamander, RHINO, Gulf Coast, PANK, and elsewhere. Her poem “Thief” was published in Issue Five (Spring 2020) of MORIA.
In Temporary Skin, “Nothing Left to Do” is one of the earlier pieces in the collection. This poem uses nature to reflect her inner struggle and to emphasize how the natural world is mirroring the subject’s grief: “the toast black like the black soil / you kept turning inside your mind, / covering and uncovering a grave.” The “black toast” represents a symbol of something small and mundane that is ruined. The comparison of that to the “black soil” leads one to think about decay, death, a burial. However, “covering and uncovering a grave” points to the fact that grief doesn’t simply just heal or go away; it’s revisited or dug up. It’s a cycle that goes on for however long it must.
The poem “Dictionary” explores identity, as well as relationship struggles. The poem opens very strongly, grabbing the reader’s attention immediately: “A river runs past us / with its talking fish, their mouths / spewing question marks, / silver hooks in our lips.” The river most likely represents a passage or flow of time for her and the other person, while the “talking fish” represents both uncertainties and things that can’t be ignored. Their “mouths / spewing question marks” suggests the doubts and concerns or unanswered questions she has. Lastly, the “silver hooks in our lips” could represent the feeling of being trapped, or unable to speak about the concerns. The communication (or the attempt to communicate) gets snagged and attached to injury or pain.
Likewise, “Listen” was very compelling. The rich imagery and the story it tells is captivating. It opens with “Malice became the word we wanted / to drink from, the long-stemmed glass / you broke by squeezing your fist, / the tart wine I poured on the wound.” The whole poem relays messages of emotional violence, intimacy, and self-destruction, and their desire is no longer for passion, but for harm. “Malice,” followed by “we wanted / to drink from,” suggests that, instead of love or comfort, they are both reaching towards bitterness. The “long-stemmed glass” is something delicate, that then becomes destroyed by “squeezing your fist.” The “tart wine” that was “poured on the wound” leads to two things happening at once. There is an attempt at healing the wound; however, while doing so, it intensifies the pain. It’s a double-edged sword — trying to heal a wound but also making it more painful. The poem in its entirety captures a somewhat toxic intimacy; there is pain, tenderness that becomes bitterness, and a choice of hurt over healing.
Iorga’s Temporary Skin vividly paints themes of loss, identity, and pain — not just as experiences — but also as landscapes one must travel through. Sometimes those landscapes are traveled willingly and other times unwillingly. Pain is not easily escaped and is navigated throughout the collection in various ways and many times. Grief is a living force that reminds us that our identity can be fragile, temporary, and heavily shaped by our experiences. Memory is not always a comfort and can be a complicated trauma one experiences, depending on the situation. Throughout, there is a journey of healing that takes place, in many forms and through many experiences. Healing may not always happen and, if it does, it’s never perfect. There are always traces of pain. Ultimately, one’s grief, memories, and hurt make up who we are. It’s not always something to overcome, but something we must learn to live with, no matter how temporary or painful it might be. 

Katelyn Mayer

Katelyn Mayer, a 22-year-old graphic designer from Portland, Oregon, is passionate about all things creative. She enjoys spending time in nature with her family, friends, and pets, finding inspiration in the world around her. Working with MORIA this semester as Program Manager has been a truly rewarding and inspiring experience, offering the opportunity to connect with professional writers and develop new creative skills. She feels incredibly grateful for this time and looks forward to continuing to grow as a designer and artist.