1.9.2.3
José Ernesto

​1.9.2.3. is a river of memories that runs deep within the speaker's veins. The Spanish poetry collection by the Puerto Rican author, José Ernesto, is a warm and at times painful ode to his family—those who have passed away and those who are still with him. The poems included in the collection are dedicated to his grandmother, mother and close family members. 

Throughout 1.9.2.3. we find a moving and nostalgic voice that converses intimately with those who are no longer physically present, yet are fully alive in the author's spirit and words. 

¿Hacia dónde volaron
las mariposas de tu voz
que no las encuentro?  
¿Hacia cuál futuro emigraron?
¿A qué galaxia fuiste a dormir
el sueño prometido de tu dios?

The universal topics of family, love, and loss are delicately "tattooed" throughout the pages of José Ernesto's book, as he also reminds us how some things simply don't have an expiration date. 

Ah, pero tu voz no expira
viene en la risa de las cosas cotidianas
es una resonancia cósmica
que se alberga en mis tímpanos...​

José Ernesto gives us solace through images gathered in a journey of longings and memories which seamlessly bond within the reader's consciousness. 1.9.2.3. is a reminder of our transitory and fleeting selves—a communion between us and our ancestors through poetry.

José Ernesto was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. His poetry books include Bajo la sombra de las palabras (2011), Tatuajes: del amor a la piel (2013), La brújula de los pájaros (2016), A vuelo de pájaro: Breve antología (2016), and Rajuma: Una historia Rohingya (2019).

1.9.2.3 is a publication by Caliópe Editoras. Click here to to contact press.
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Reviewed by
Gerald A. Padilla
​5/7/2019

Gerald A. Padilla (Los Angeles, CA) is founder and director of Latino Book Review, founder of Jade Publishing, founder of the Festival Internacional de Poesía Latinoamericana (FEIPOL), founder of Latin American Foundation for the Arts. He is co-author of the first children's book in Náhuatl in the U.S., Noyolkanyolkej.

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