City of Voices / La ciudad de las voces
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“Hasta la bye, bye” It’s all about the ride, My amigo, Four corners of the world, ¿Para qué?1 Cuatro llantas,2 all silver-plated rims like rubberbands on a tin can, School, ¿para qué carnal?3... I’m going to build me a chop, a shop, Hydraulics everywhere, Up and down like a seesaw, It’s going to be decorated con decoraciones4 like Taco Garage in San Antonio, San Anto, A silver chain steering wheel at the front door, Willie Nelson poster, a Tejano all the way, Long gray pelos5 wrapped around ese guitar, Puro6 sounds, Notas7 up and down, Puro jale8 like ink from a tattoo needle, Threads of my mother’s face, Tinta, tinta de la cara9… Man, I’ll have all kinds of rims, gleaming hexagonal, octagonal, diagonal, todo10, everything, It’ll be a balancing act, Geometrical hallucinations,
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
City of Voices is a collection of poems written as a type of memoir. Poetry is the axle that continually rotates in search of meaningful imagery to fulfill the yearnings of my soul. (La ciudad de las voces es una recopilación de poemas escritos en forma autobiográfica. La poesía es el eje que gira continuamente en busca de imágenes significativas que satisfagan los anhelos de mi alma.) Some of the pieces, such as “Ya mero,” “Hasta la bye, bye,” “El pachuco,” and “El Álamo,” depict the Tex-Mex vernacular of South Texas. I aspire to weave Spanish and English together on multiple levels, interconnecting the Chicano voice with the Anglo influence. Other compositions display an array of lyrical expression of everyday life in San Antonio and perceptions from trips to Ireland and Guatemala with my wife. The echoes we heard in the main courtyard of Tikal, standing between the two primary stone structures or castillos (castles), were the result of clapping our hands together. The Mayans referred to this area as “the place of voices,” and this is the image I borrowed to describe these poems, created from my inner voice and perspective. My other books include The Arch’s Prism (2014), a selection of poems, and Solitary Impressions (2016), an autobiography.
About the Author
City of Voices is a collection of poems written as a type of memoir. Poetry is my axle that continually rotates in search of meaningful imagery to fulfill the yearnings of my soul. (La ciudad de las voces es una recopilación de poemas escritos en forma autobiográfica. La poesía es mi eje que gira continuamente en busca de imágenes significativas que satisfacen los anhelos de mi alma.) Some of the pieces, such as “Ya mero,” “Hasta la bye, bye,” “El pachuco,” and “El Álamo” depict the Tex-Mex vernacular of South Texas. I aspire to weave Spanish and English together on multiple levels interconnecting the Chicano voice with the Anglo influence. Other pieces include an array of lyrical expression of everyday life in San Antonio as well as impressions from trips to Ireland and Guatemala with my wife. The echoes we heard in the main court yard of Tikal standing between the two primary stone structures or “castillos” were the result of clapping our hands together. The Mayans referred to this area as the “Place of Voices,” and this is the image I borrowed to describe these poems created from my inner voice and perspective.