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I am completely in love with poetry and the new forms of poetry that are continuously emerging. One of the authors that I have learned to love is Daisy Zamora. Her book “The Violent Foam” is fantastic.
Zamora is from Nicaragua and is known as one of the most renowned poets of the area. She was honored in 2006 as the Woman Writer of the year – a high honor for the Central American region. She has five books of poetry out right now, all which are focused on human rights and revolutionary concepts.
A couple of years ago, I had the bounty of meeting Zamora at a workshop that I was taking. There is one thing that she said that I will never forget. She was speaking about the culture of poets and the differences. (This is a huge paraphrase). During the time, she was living in America (California) and had several of her poems translated into English while moving this way. She said that she was continuously in culture shock. Most people would think of Nicaragua as a 3rd world country that was always in upheaval and violence. But, she also said that it was easier for her to live there than in America. Mostly because America was constantly in psychological battles. Along those lines, she said that in Nicaragua, she could expect to be respected because she was a poet, while in America, poets were considered flakes and secondary. (Again, a huge paraphrase – but a definite insight into ‘cultural differences.’)
So, with that said – everyone should be familiar with Zamora. Here’s a poem from her book “The Violent Foam” to get you started.
“THE FOREIGNER
She wants to forget what’s gone
beneath some sky
her nostalgia wishes
she’d confuse with her own.
Her children’s laughter
- the one intimate thing
where everything is alien –
floods the air with innocence.
And she reaches to touch the distance
- stone cold and definitive
as a tombstone.”