A select few poems available to all.
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Valle de Gabriela
In 2018, the Chilean Writer’s Society (SECH) invited me to Chile as a poet, with a permanent invitation to return each year. Its Fourth Region department is named after Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American ever to receive the Nobel Laureate in Literature. A rural teacher in the Andean mountains, Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (April 7, 1889 – January 10, 1957) adopted “Gabriela Mistral” as a pseudonym from her favorite poets, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Frédéric Mistral. She acquired the nom de plume as she feared her loss of work as a teacher should her identity become known. Her birthplace is the Valle del Elqui, a mystical, magical labyrinth of Andean mountains filled with green valleys of pisco grapes and the occasional small village, complete with huaso (Chilean countrymen and skilled horsemen) riding throughout its streets. We visited her birthplace in Vicuña and her school house and grave site in Monte Grande.
Sliver
The arrangement of this concrete poem (also known as pattern or shape poetry) uses meter and structure to convey its message.. “Sliver” references the shape of Chile. The poem pays homage to Gabriela Mistral, Latin America’s first Nobel laureate in Literature, and the attention her works brought to the world of her country. She was born 138 years ago, yesterday.
A Curious Case of Contact
Strolling the streets of Amsterdam, a recollection of time with my new bride and our unexpected turn into its famed Red Light District.
Open When Ready
Don’t keepsakes always hold a special place in our hearts, such as reflection and reminiscence. In this poem, I’ve tried to capture the shape of the content of this poem as part of a concrete poem, also known as a shape poem, in which the arrangement of the world on the page is important because it conveys the meaning of the poem. In this case, there is an opening and closing, an invitation to open this poem up and rediscover the hidden treasures in my collection.
Punta Roca
Punta Roca, a world-class wave located in La Libertad, El Salvador, is probably one of America's best waves. This dangerous, long right-hand wave, both powerful and hollow, should only be attempted by intermediate to advanced surfers. I’ve used the limerick poetic style – an often comical, nonsensical, and sometimes even lewd form with a strict rhyme scheme and rhythm – to capture the dangers of this place.
El amor del Salvador
A country with generational fatigue from decades of unrest and a 13-year civil war, this is a conversational poem speaking to its people, that the answer to suffering can be found in its very namesake, “the Savior,” Jesus Christ.
