Fragmented Voices

MISTED AWAKENING

I awaken from the garúa

of deep dreams

Pale drifts along the side

of a road

the taste of brine

on the night air

& the sea heaving

the froth of riptides

the wash around rocks

& upon the beach

Phantom white

under a waning moon

A QUITEÑO SKETCH

From one store, pasillos echo down narrow

streets. In Saint Francis Plaza, a young

girl feeds dozens of pigeons huddled around

her. As they rise in flight, her

pink chiffon dress billows. Those birds circle

the egg-shell sky & bright sun

& the cloud-capped sierra ringing Quito.

About the Author:

Poet-translator Lorraine Caputo’s works appear in over 180 journals on six continents; and 12 chapbooks of poetry – including Caribbean Nights (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2014), Notes from the Patagonia (dancing girl press, 2017) and On Galápagos Shores (dancing girl press, 2019). She also authors travel narratives, articles and guidebooks. Caputo has done over 200 literary readings, from Alaska to the Patagonia. She travels through Latin America, listening to the voices of the pueblos and Earth. Follow her travels at: www.facebook.com/lorrainecaputo.wanderer.