Poetry offers insight into immigration issues

poems entitled, “Alabanza: New and Selected Poems.”

After a quick introduction, Espada began the evening by taking those in attendance, “back to the island of Puerto Rico,” with his reading of, “En la calle San Sebastián.” As he read this poem, those in attendance soon learned why he is called, “the voice of the lion.” With a fervent tone, Martin Espada slightly leaned over the podium, book in hand, speaking with such incredible passion and emotion it was if the poem was actually coming alive right in front of the audience’s eyes.

As the crowd tightly fixed their attention upon Espada, vivid images appeared within their minds, “I think he invoked really strong imagery and he showed us…very vivid pictures with his words” Brian Fairman, a freshman, said.

During his poetry reading, Espada discussed Pablo Neruda, a world-renown poet and one of the biggest influences on his work. He explained to the audience that for an extended period of time, Neruda went underground and no one had any idea where he was; however, Espada told the crowd of Cabrini students that he knew where Neruda was the entire time—Fenway Park. He proceeded to read his poem about Pablo Neruda hiding from the Chilean secret police at Fenway Park during a baseball game in a poem entitled, “The Fugitive Poets of Fenway Park.” The reaction to the poem was positive. Anthony Velluta, liked this poem because Espada “pointed out all the fans and the reactions and how everything was sucked in.”

Espada also debuted his newest poem, “The Saddest Verses.” This is a poem Espada wrote about his visit to Neruda’s tomb and his interaction with people who have been searching for answers as to what happened to the members of their family since a military coup took place in 1973.

One of the more unusual poems that Martin Espada read was titled “My Cockroach Lover.” Espada himself said, “Every Puerto Rican poet needs a cockroach poem. This is my contribution to the genre.”

Another crowd favorite was, “Thanksgiving,” a poem about Espada’s first Thanksgiving dinner with his wife’s family. Many liked this poem just on the sheer fact that they could relate to it. “The thanksgiving poem definitely reminds me so much of my family,” sophomore English and