Juan Felipe Herrera is the US poet laureate, but I have not been keeping up with live poets as much as I should, so I did not really know that. However, he played a prominent role in the November 2020 NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) conference so I got to hear him at this virtual affair. What struck me about him was that he is artsy and warm and whimsical, which I think makes for a great poet who can uplift people and bring hope in dark spaces.
Listening to Herrera on Zoom was like being in his studio and listening to a favorite teacher. At one point in the keynote he brought out large pieces of newsprint and said I am going to write you a poem and I could have sworn that I was the only person in the room and he was speaking directly to me.
His book of poems in Spanish and English are like that. They are intimate and whimsical. The rhythm of his words dances. The food imagery is both playful and nostalgic. Even if I do not have similar food memories, he makes me remember a time and feel the joy that comes from the simplicity of that time and that food.
What I most love about these poems are the titles. I know he means them to bring laughter, I found myself smiling through tears. I am not sure why, but they were not sad tears.
Some of my favorite titles:
I own many socks, some with wings
Nothing is missing, nothing, except the pineapple tamales
If I was Picasso, I would paint a crab
I was born with a tiny parakeet of hope
These are poems to experience. These are not poems to dissect like frogs. These are poems to read out loud to yourself at the park and let the wind carry them up into the sky.
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