Do Not Think It Strange, by kris hernandez

Poetry, chapbook, 40 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Do Not Think It Strange explores how the body learns to endure under pressure—from family, faith, illness, love, and the systems meant to protect us. These poems move through inheritance, desire, addiction, and moral consequence, tracing how harm can be taught, repeated, and carried forward across a lifetime. The collection lingers in the moments where care and control blur, asking what it means to live with the weight of what cannot be undone.

At once intimate and unsparing, the poems confront devotion, vulnerability, and the risk of wanting connection in a world that often demands endurance. Desire becomes both refuge and danger; love becomes a force capable of tenderness and harm in equal measure. With sharp imagery and emotional restraint, kris hernandez’s Do Not Think It Strange invites readers into a landscape shaped by survival, memory, and the complicated reality of living with the consequences of what has been learned.

kris hernandez is a poet based in Austin, Texas. Do Not Think It Strange is their debut chapbook. kris’ work can be found in other places such as celestite poetry, Contrarium Mag, Discretionary Love, and elsewhere. They have two chihuahuas, one cat, and a partner who makes their head swoon. Despite the sad poetry, kris loves their life. <3