February Book Review!
So I spent a few hours, as requested in the stacks. As promised, they were filled with a plethora of dust, words, and creepiness. I came home with 10 books of poetry, many of which had never been removed from their cosy homes in the stacks. I had to liberate them! Of course, I plan to only review two at this moment, but my bedside table is happy to have some company for the time being.
Book # 1: “Woman, Woman” by Angela de Hoyos
Each poem in this book is pithy and elegant–the poems may not be longwinded, but some may leave you winded 
. The writer uses simple language and interesting form that informs its meaning: for example, see a selection from the following poem: A (somewhat Gory) coup de grace or “Pero Que Clase de Chingaderas Son Estas?”:
- and now my heart
- H A N G S
- in mid air
The word “HANGS” with all the spaces in between give the reader the impression of hanging. You stick to every lietter. The letters are hanging on the page. Certainly this is a technique we could use in our poems: visual stimulation for added emphasis/effect.
de Hoyos also uses rhyme in an interesting way. In some places she uses a steady AABB rhyme scheme and then in some places in the same poem she will completely ignore the rhyme scheme. We can use this also: instead of feeling bound by the rhyme scheme we can play with it as we see fit at any moment.
The title poem, seen below, exemplifies the simple yet engaging tone of the poems in this book:
Woman, Woman
climb up
that ladder
bring down
the moon
or she
will tattle
tattle falsehood
in the skies
(and who
can tell
the truth
from lies?)
that it
is you
forever Eve
who rules
mere man
without reprieve
Several poems from this book can be found at:
Additionally, you can check out the following link for an interview with Angela de Hoyos:
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/latinoauthors/clubextra/381447566.html