Poetry is like a song, like a
psalm, like a prayer. Poetry is different things to many people, and April
being Poetry Month,
The Latina Book Club is
celebrating by featuring Latino poets all week long.
We are happy to welcome poet,
author and artist Manuel A. Meléndez,
and honored that he has graciously shared
a poem with us at the end of our chat.
A CHAT WITH POET MANUEL A.
MELENDEZ
Q: We are celebrating poetry month so we'd like
to know What poetry means to you? How and why do you love it so?
Manny: A poem was the first thing I wrote as a young
boy. And it all happened because I had a
crush on this girl in school and I was too shy to speak to her, so I decided to
write her a poem. Of course, she thought
I was weird, but thanks to her she made discover the creative side in me. Then a few
years later I came across a book, which I still have, titled “The Best Loved
Poems of the American People. “I was hook! Poetry became an obsession, which also allowed
the love of writing to develop wings and into writing short stories and then
novels. There's always a special
place in my heart for poetry.
Q: Tell us about your two poetry books. What
themes do you explore?
Manny: Actually, I have five poetry books. I’ve been writing poems
since I was 12 or 13 years old. Last
year for the first time, I took on the 30-30 Poetry Challenge, which became my
last poetry book and one of the most revealing books I have ever written. The emotions are raw and exposed many things
that I have kept inside of me without sharing it with anyone. The themes in
all my work are things I observed throughout the city. Conversations I hear, and of course my own
life's experiences, failures, happiness, and everything from angels and demons
that dwell within.
Q: Does writing poetry give you more freedom
than when you write your books?
Manny: That's a good question, and my answer is
yes. It allows me to dig deep in myself
and can explore what makes me tick and how to I use my own emotions to create
interesting characters in my other writings.
Q: What advice would you give to young poets?
Manny: Read the works of other poets, every format
and remember that poetry is your own voice and don’t be afraid to be
heard. Poetry is an expression that have
no rules, no specific format. Poetry is
your heart, your true spirit soaring as high as you allowed it to soar.
Q: What poets do you enjoy? Who inspires you?
Manny: I love Edgar Allan Poe’s dark poems, Robert
Frost, Pablo Neruda, Federico Garcia Lorca, Julia De Burgos and the many
contemporary poets who I support by attending their readings or through their
books. Again, the one who has influenced
me the most is Edgar Allan Poe. He
showed me that it’s possible to write about death and demons as well as love
and angels.
Q: Share your social media addresses with us.
Manuel A. Meléndez' Books on facebook
PAGES FROM THE PAST
I came across a notebook
from those long ago,
young autumn days.
When life was filled
with laughter,
and conquering dreams
inundated my innocent
being.
And with time at my
disposal,
I ventured into those
pages,
inhaling the scent of
ink
and smeared lead pencils
from the past.
Oh, such wonderful
smells.
Conjuring nostalgic
images
of old forgotten
friends.
And a time that has
forever
remained still.
And now with open arms
they welcome me.
Pushing aside
life’s burdens
that seem to suffocate
me
in every waking moment.
Memories rushing
through,
in a bombarding passion—
pulling at my heart,
moistening my eyes.
Oh, Lord! What can I do
now?
To have those days back,
casting away my lonesome
shadows,
my lonesome dreams.
To be real again…
and the poetry
I wrote for her
on those pages
from the past,
be words she will love
forever.
--
(From Searching for
Myself)
Copyright held by author. Permission granted to reprint. All rights held by author.
Copyright held by author. Permission granted to reprint. All rights held by author.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Manuel A. Meléndez is a Puerto Rican author
born in Puerto Rico and raised in East Harlem, N.Y. He is the author of two mystery/supernatural
novels, WHEN ANGELS FALL, and BATTLE FOR A SOUL, five poetry books, OBSERVATIONS
THROUGH POETRY, VOICES FROM MY SOUL, THE BEAUTY AFTER THE STORM, MEDITATING
WITH POETRY, and SEARCHING FOR MYSELF.
Two collection of Christmas short stories, NEW YORK CHRISTMAS TALES,
VOL. I and II, and IN THE SHADOWS OF NEW YORK: TWO NOVELETTES. The novel WHEN ANGELS FALL, was voted by The
LatinoAuthors.com as the Best Novel of 2013, while BATTLE FOR A SOUL was
awarded Honorable Mention in the 2015 International Latino Awards for Mystery
Novels. His short story A KILLER AMONG
US was published by Akashi Books in SAN JUAN NOIR anthology.
For more information please visit his
website: www.manuel-melendez.com.
READ LATINO LIT!
READ LATINO POETRY!