The University of Arizona Press

September 5th, 2018

Encantado  is a poetry collection which weaves a myriad community of individuals together through detailed windows into their lives. Inspired by the real and imagined stories around her, Mora brings us to the heart of what it means to be a chorus of voices together.

About her writing process, Mora says, “When I give an idea or scene or emotion quiet and time, a draft of a poem can emerge from a place inside. I’m both listening and pondering. All my grandparents were born in Mexico as was my dad. That fact is part of my inheritance, my wealth, but I write as a human ultimately to share with my fellow humans.”

Below is one of the poems and personalities in Pat Mora’s forthcoming collection. Both playful and profound, “Gilberto” examines themes of aging while capturing the nostalgia of a youthful past. A sense of reverence for the changes that passing time imparts on individuals envelops the poem, creating a space where resistance and acceptance beautifully coincide.

 

GILBERTO

 

Grace now, my scruffy canine compañeros.

We old dogs must show the way.

We savor mornings and day-old bread

in ways young pups don’t understand.

 

When I was a boy, I’d climb

at dawn to an arroyo

that tasted of mint,

water so clear and cold

it hurt my teeth, so sweet

I’d laugh out loud.

I was a mountain lion,

eyes red, body sleek, lean, agile,

poised to pounce,

gnaw impatiently on life.

 

Now my ankles and knees

teach me to taste my days,

slowly. I make pronouncements

only you heed, but

I still burn, shake my fists,

consoled by my own voice.

 

Pat Mora is an award-winning author of poetry, nonfiction, and children’s books. Her previous books of poetry include Agua Santa: Holy Water, Adobe Odes, and Aunt Carmen’s Book of Practical Saints. Among her awards are Honorary Doctorates from North Carolina State University and SUNY Buffalo, Honorary Membership in the American Library Association, and she was a recipient and judge of a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Mora is the founder of Children’s Day, Book Day, El día de los niños, El día de los libros.  A former teacher, university administrator, museum director, and consultant, Mora is a popular speaker who promotes creativity, inclusivity, and bookjoy. She’s the mother of three adult children, and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.