Yesterday I got an e-mail from the Spanish and Portuguese Department. It said, my copy of "La marca hispánica" (the department's annual publication of scholarly works) was ready for me to pick up. It also included the words "author" and "congratulations". It had been sent to a number of people so there was no way I had been published. Besides, the conversations I had had earlier in the year (February and March) had indicated a solid "no" regarding whether or not my selection had been included.
Despite the doubts, I called frantically to ask, and to my complete elation, I had been published. Jasmine, the department secretary, was excited to hear my reaction and said it was the most thrilling of them all. Happy to oblige.
While my contribution was small, I was and am extremely proud of it. I wrote my piece in November of 2007, at the peak of my language abilities...
Inspired by Dr. Ted Lyon and Dr. John Rosenberg, I had gained an incredible appreciation for the work of great Spanish and Latin authors. We studied Neruda, Borges, and my favorite, Gabriela Mistral. She is an incredible author, and her poetry and her ideas transcend language, time, and culture. Reading her work was enlightening and I found myself surrounded by the new and overwhelming ability to craft meaningful and symbolic ideas in Spanish rather than having to translate from English to Spanish. (For anyone who doesn't speak a second language, this does not come naturally or easily.)
I wrote this poem on a drive from Provo to Santa Barbara, as the sun was rising over the red rock in St. George. It was the emotion I felt being away from someone important to me, the man I ended up marrying six months later. And, since that time has become a symbol for the love I have for him.
Re-living the memories this week has rekindled my intuitive love for Spanish. So, here's to an un-dying love, re-establising my abilities, and re-awakening my creative genius.
Más cerca de mí
La distancia crece
El tiempo transcurre
Una oscuridad inmensa
Mis latidos bajan
El piel palidece
La vida siente sombría…
Te veo en mis sueños
Las palpitaciones vuelven
Me pongo colorada
Recuerdo tu olor
Tus ojos brillantes
Pensamientos fugaces
Más cerca de mí
1 comments:
congrats McKenzie!! THat is awesome! It is a beautiful poem!! Also, good luck with the career fair!
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