Hermano
“la memoria del corazón elimina lo malo.”*
-Gabriel García Marquez
Waves embrace children
climbing the bank
of the early afternoon,
under the shade
created by mountains, spilling
down into a blur of colour
this time of day
how the light is caught,
in a filter,
exposure. In the evening,
I find a photo,
developed long ago
hold it between
sun-stained fingers
so faded, I barely can
see your features. Only now
at middle age, I recall clearly
only now you return to me.
*The memories of the heart eliminate the bad.
Mobile Home
I rest comfortably in this house
a mid-century modern
it’s taken a lifetime to fill
I’ve reclaimed unused parts
saving them from abandon and ruin
given them new purpose
so as to move with ease through this shelter.
It’s all I’ve ever needed – a place within
to let go of shame and embrace safety.
The foundation is strong and has weathered
many unexpected storms
in this body that is my home
I can finally reside wherever I go.
TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her poetry has been featured by journals at Indiana University, Cornell University, McMaster University, the University of Baltimore and more. Erzinger’s poetry collection At the Foot of the Mountain (Floricanto Press 2021) won the University of Indianapolis, Etchings Press Whirling Prize for 2021 for best nature poetry book and was a finalist at The International Book Awards 2022. It was also a finalist at the Willow Run Book Awards and Eyelands Book Awards. Her poetry collection Tourist (Sea Crow Press 2023) was released in April. Erzinger was awarded a spot by the Art Centre Padula, Artist in Residency Programme summer 2023.
DIY MFA 