On This Side of the Desert

I say, my mother's name, cristina & desert marigolds, crack through a boulder. i say my father's name, martin & all the novena candles in the bed of the truck are aglow. These lines from the book's titular poem "On This Side of the Desert" encapsulate the dominant themes of the collection: the power and meaning derived from the act of naming; the deep interconnectedness of Latinx cultures, a product of strong family traditions and an intimate relationship with the natural world; and a profo...