#poemsinspanish

[omnidawn]

Paul Hoover offers Poems in Spanish to readers as if “There are plenty of secrets left / to share with perfect strangers” (“Don’t Kill Yourself,” lines 28-29). These poems are as everyday as a “Black car, small moon, / in the back seat beer” or walking into the kitchen to turn on the stove (“Driver’s Song,” lines 3-4). But don’t be fooled by this daily-ritual writing, for Hoover dances language through poetry until “It’s a secret place somewhere in Ohio / that was once mistaken for Spain” (“Intention and Its Thing,” lines 14-15). Hold onto the handle; new states of mind are stewing. With musings that move back and forth from the overlapping region to either side--the promise of poetry in Spanish or the application of poetry in English--Hoover guides readers, announcing that “Anything can be / the map of its presence--” (“Apology for the Finding,” lines 47-48). Whatever language we dance, let us warm the words with the sincere gesture of “committing an act of speech” (“The Stone,” line 8).

#tbt omnidawn omnidawnpublishing PaulHoover poemsinspanish