There is something about poetry that embeds itself in your soul. Poetic language captures identities, histories, struggles, and beauty. Whether using brevity, powerful metaphors, or emotive language, poets do indeed know how to turn a phrase. There is a rich tradition of poetry in Hispanic culture. From the romantic verses of Spanish poets like Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, to the political and social themes of modern Latin American poets like Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, poetry reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of people. This Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to celebrate the contributions of poets as their words resonate and shed light on issues of identity, love, loss, and heritage. Below are a few of some wonderful poetry collections that illustrate the power of words to capture the complexities of being human. 

The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limón

Ada is the current National Poet Laureate of the United States. This is my favorite collection of hers, and the one I find the most powerful. These poems are vulnerable and tender and explore different ambiguous moments. From the growing of a youth into an adult, to the tending of aging parents, to dealing with infertility, to the persistence of joy, these poems are all about what it means to live in an imperfect world. 

Migratory Sound by Sara Lupita Olivares

Looking back to the generational narrative of Mexican American migration, this collection examines linguistic and geographic boundaries. It examines the idea of place and “unplace” and how everything is in relationship with each other. 

Corazón by Yesika Salgado

This collection is a love story. It is about construing hunger for love and how sometimes feeling that hunger with another person just isn’t enough. Yesika creates a world where the heart can exist anywhere and how the heart and love can build us up but can also ruin us. 

I Always Carry My Bones by Felicia Zamora

In these poems, the body is both alive and dead. It is not just a human body but that of a beetle or a hummingbird or even the desert. The collection examines how the body connects to what we are, what we want to be, and what we can’t. 

Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths by Elizabeth Acevedo

This folkloric collection is aimed at young adults and centers on the historical, mythological, and geographic experience of a first generation American woman. Moving from the Dominican Republic to New York, Elizabeth has a beautiful relationship with language and is sprinkled with the cultures of two countries. 

Count by Valerie Martínez

In 43 sections, Valerie takes readers through time and around the world, from the Atacama desert to the Arctic Archipelago, to the aspen groves of Utah. Using science, numerical measurement, Indigenous storytelling, and narration, this work is an epic panorama. 

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

This collection won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2021 and made Natalie the first Latina poet to receive the honor. The collection has such range both stylistically and thematically. It is a work about culture, water, oppression, desire, family, and lineage. 

Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora

A poetry collection for middle schoolers, each of these poems has a different teenaged narrator. There are poems about that first crush or the thrill of puppy-love. There are poems about familial love, including dealing with divorce, incarceration, and death. There are also poems on teens seeking acceptance and identity that really resonate. One nice feature is all of the footnotes, which explain the different poetic forms used and is a great learning tactic for readers. 

The Book of Wounded Sparrows: Poems by Octavio Quintanilla

Recently long listed for the National Book Award for Poetry, this collection reflects on all that can be lost in the pursuit of the quintessential American Dream. It traverses the borders of language and shifts through English and Spanish and makes the feeling of dislocation personal and creative. 

Happy Reading!

Featured in the October 5, 2024 Issue of The Independent