What poetry enables us to do is to savor, to taste the words that will sustain us, in contrast with that sense of the meaningless that confronts us every day.
~Martín Espada
Excerpts of poems by Martín Espada today! I don't have permission to share them in their entirety, so follow the links to read the rest.
The Republic of Poetry
by Martín Espada
for Chile
...In the republic of poetry,
poets read to the baboons
at the zoo, and all the primates,
poets and baboons alike, scream for joy.
read the rest here
*************
The Poet in the Box
by Martín Espada
for Brandon
We have a problem with Brandon,
the assistant warden said.
He's a poet.
At the juvenile detention center
demonic poetry fired Brandon's fist
into the forehead of another inmate.
Metaphor, that cackling spirit, drove him to flip
another boy's cafeteria tray onto the floor.
The staccato chorus rhyming in his head
told him to spit and curse
at enemies bigger by a hundred pounds.
read the rest here
*************
Be sure to catch the ending of this one:
The Soldiers in the Garden
by Martín Espada
Isla Negra, Chile, September 1973
After the coup,
the soldiers appeared
in Neruda's garden one night,
raising lanterns to interrogate the trees,
cursing at the rocks that tripped them.
From the bedroom window
they could have been
the conquistadores of drowned galleons,
back from the sea to finish
plundering the coast.
read the rest here
*************
A bunch of people have signed up for the Summer Poem Swap -- thank you! If you want to and haven't yet, you can read about it here.
Last chance to register for the art supply giveaway on Jone's blog!
Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Matt!
12 comments:
I first met Espada's poetry last August during the Poetry Book A Day challenge. His work is heart-wrenching and beautiful.
I'm in love with 'The Republic of Poetry.' Thank you for sharing it. I need to read more of this poet. Hooray for the summer swap and art giveaway! Our poetry community is so much fun.
I was unfamiliar with Espada's work, so thank you for sharing these! Fun, insightful, with somewhat of a Billy Collins sort of quality.
Thank you for these poems. I couldn't help but hear them connected to one another:
poems "fluttering from the sky, blinded by weeping"
"poets who watch the sky, waiting for a poem to plunge in a white streak through blackness"
"There is only one danger for you here: poetry"
Beautiful!
Thank you, Tabatha, emotions fill up these poems like few I've read lately. The idea of Brandon, smart kid, like many we don't understand: "where he can hear the scratching of his pencil".
Take me to "The Republic of Poetry" what a marvelous poem and place to be lost in!!! And the end of "The Soldiers in the Garden" Wow, is there an incantation to make the Putin's war vanish… I hope it's in sight. Thanks for these terrific poems Tabatha!
Thanks for the introduction to Espada, Tabatha. :)
Love Espada's poetry!! Thanks for introducing me to yet another fantastic poet. All of these are just perfect for NPM. Thank you so much.
Wow. Good stuff!
Tabatha, I was here a while ago today and then got lost in Martin Espada poems. Wow. I was trying to use "The Republic of Poetry" as a mentor. Thanks for sharing. I am always learning about new poets from this community.
Thank you for highlighting these poems and this new-to-me poet. You are so right about the end of that last poem. Such a powerful observation and sadly so true for our present days.
I love the idea of a "Republic of Poetry," Tabatha. Perhaps that is where I shall retire to.
Post a Comment