Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying
A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying
A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying
Ebook74 pages45 minutes

A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Filled with the nuanced beauty and complexity of the everyday—a pot of beans, a goat carcass, embroidered linens, a grandfather’s cancer—A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying journeys through the inherited fear of creation and destruction. The histories of South Texas and its people unfold in Laurie Ann Guerrero’s stirring language, including the dehumanization of men and its consequences on women and children. Guerrero’s tongue becomes a palpable border, occupying those liminal spaces that both unite and divide, inviting readers to consider that which is known and unknown: the body. Guerrero explores not just the right, but the ability to speak and fight for oneself, one's children, one's community—in poems that testify how, too often, we fail to see the power reflected in the mirror.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 15, 2013
ISBN9780268080730
A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying
Author

Laurie Ann Guerrero

A native of South Texas, Laurie Ann Guerrero is the author of Babies under the Skin, which won the 2008 Panhandler Publishing Chapbook Award. Her poetry and criticism have appeared in a number of journals. She teaches for the MFA Program at the University of Texas at El Paso, University of the Incarnate Word, and Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas.

Related to A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying

Related ebooks

Poetry For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying

Rating: 4.4000001 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

5 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying - Laurie Ann Guerrero

    THE ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE

    2004, Pity the Drowned Horses, Sheryl Luna

    Final Judge: Robert Vasquez

    2006, The Outer Bands, Gabriel Gomez

    Final Judge: Valerie Martínez

    2008, My Kill Adore Him, Paul Martínez Pompa

    Final Judge: Martín Espada

    2010, Tropicalia, Emma Trelles

    Final Judge: Silvia Curbelo

    2012, A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying, Laurie Ann Guerrero

    Final Judge: Francisco X. Alarcón

    The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize, named after the late California native and author of the award-winning book, The Iceworker Sings, supports the publication of a first book by a Latino or Latina poet. Awarded every other year, the prize is administered by Letras Latinas—the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

    A TONGUE in the MOUTH of the DYING

    LAURIE ANN GUERRERO

    University of Notre Dame Press

    Notre Dame, Indiana

    Copyright © 2013 by Laurie Ann Guerrero

    Published by the University of Notre Dame Press

    Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

    All Rights Reserved

    E-ISBN 978-0-268-08073-0

    This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at ebooks@nd.edu.

    FOR DREW, VIC, & LIV, always.

    CONTENTS

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction to the Poems by Francisco X. Alarcón

    Preparing the Tongue

    I.

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, i.

    Sundays after Breakfast: A Lesson in Speech

    Bluing the Linens

    Las Lenguas

    Summer

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, ii.

    A Meal for the Tribe

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, iii.

    Yellow Bird

    Little Mexican Pot

    Turnips

    Babies under the House

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, iv.

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, v.

    Roosters: Homecoming

    Esperanza Tells Her Friends the Story of La Llorona

    Ode to El Cabrito

    Stray Cat

    How I Put Myself through School

    Morning Praise of Nightmares, one

    Morning Praise of Nightmares, two

    II.

    Sundays after Breakfast: A Lesson in Cotton Picking

    Put Attention

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, vi.

    Breasts

    Ode to My Boots

    Ode to a Skein of Red Embroidery Thread

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, vii.

    Wooden Box

    Black Hat

    One Man’s Name: Colonization of the Poetic, viii.

    Mr. G’s Collection

    Cocooning

    Babies under the Skin

    Pinedale, CA

    Like Jesus

    When I Made Eggs This Morning

    Stones

    My Mother Woke a

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1