Bosque
Poems
Winner of the 2021 Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association
Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque is a vibrant cottonwood forest that has flourished for centuries along the Río Grande--providing a home for porcupines, migratory birds, coyotes, and other wildlife as well as a sanctuary for its city residents. Today, in the midst of climate change and the slow drying of the river, the bosque struggles to remain vibrant. As a former Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Michelle Otero champions this beloved Albuquerque treasure. In her debut poetry collection, Bosque, she celebrates the importance of water and the bosque to the people of Albuquerque. Otero shares her reflections on the high desert--where she is rooted, where she draws her strength, and where she has flourished--and she invites readers to do the same.
Published in Association with the City of Albuquerque's Department of Cultural Services.
Ultimately, this is a collection full of praise poems, full of gratitude for herbs and rain, librarians and storytellers, brothels and the circus. The poet acts as chronicler of a place and all of its times.'--Carla Panciera, Mom Egg Review
Bosque will inspire pride as well as self-reflection and is likely to send readers born and raised in the state down memory lane.'--Jennifer Levin, Santa Fe New Mexican
Michelle Otero's Bosque poems fuel multifarious definitions, including definitions of givers, art-makers, makers, and even the color brown. At the core of the poetry project is the consistent defiance to restrictive definitions and a call to recognize that we, just like water, are fluid.'--Melinda Zepeda, Latino Book Review
Michelle Otero is a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, founded by Sandra Cisneros for socially engaged writers to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve community. She is also the author of Malinche’s Daughter.
The Color Brown
Aquí Estamos
A Prayer of Thanks for the Givers
Water
Pillar of Seed
Tierra Encantada
Seed Packet for Dry Land
Rain
Bosque Walk, Groundhog Day
Tierra
In Praise of Pods
Because the Kitchen
How to Write About Service
Water
Women's Work
Untitled
Poetry Walk
Time
To Grow a Child in New Mexico
Ode to the Explorers
Ode to the Art-Makers
Ode to the Makers
Language
Where the Border Isn't a Metaphor
Dwelling
You Make the Library Friend
Breaking Ground
Little House 4 Sale
Tan Lejos de Dios
What I Know
You Run
Muerte
Last night I dreamt your ex-wife
Tombstone
Mesteño
Faith
My Mother Was Never a Housewife
El Paso Uno (with Hakim Bellamy and Jessica Helen López)
Sestina Azteca
Water
Notes
Acknowledgments y Agradecimientos
