Why write in English? Sometimes I may get caught up in the drama of my own or in someone else’s experiences, and feelings of poetry flow imperiously, either in English or Spanish.

I have lived almost fifty years in the States, always working in an Anglo environment. Consequently, I am used to think and feel in both languages, which pleases me because as a teacher, I can assist my students in their dealing with the grammar differences.

Love does not know barriers, and its dreams and whims can be expressed in any language. As a matter of fact, the poems I recently submitted to HispanicLA were written originally in English.

Carmen Alea Paz (2010)

***

Search

***

It is and it is not a delirium

this journey without end.

Tremulous heart not begging

but reclaiming,

mind eager to unveil the Infinite.

In agony,

some times the exhausted wings

yield to the efforts.

The summit is far away,

almost unreachable,

but there is light at the peak,

the climb continues…

Within, the voice,

the thirsty soul

compells me to the heights,

the ultimate dimension.

***

The Stillness of the Hour

***

It is Autumn.

The storm has disarranged the vines

and a magical fragrance

has invaded my room

hurting the stillness of the hour.

Why now, that seeding time has passed,

there is an insinuating wing

haunting the garden,

old roots wanting to bloom again,

and a glimpse of sunshine

warming up windows?

Oh, who could understand

The secrets of the heart;

The soul mysterious way,

And the sorrows of life…

No, I won’t bring back yesterday…

I won’t walk fumbling along,

crushing dead leaves,

Trying to find a nonexistent door.

Feb. 18, 2008

***

Eclipse

***

You entered the universe of my emotions

With the luminous force of a great star.

I attributed to you

the grace in my life,

all the beauty I had.

Day after day I surrendered my soul,

an incorporeal offering to you,

king of my dreams,

until darkness covered my sky

with the mysterious somber in your eyes.

***

All rights reserved by Carmen Alea Paz 2008

Carmen Alea Paz falleció el 16 de diciembre de 2016 en Northridge, California, a los 90 años de edad.