Enraizada
Miriam Damaris Mardivino

In "Enraizada," Miriam Damaris Mardivino weaves a tapestry of verses, vibrant as the Caribbean sun, grounded as the ancient trees of Puerto Rico. Her journey in this poetic collection is a declaration of love and longing, invoking the primal and the divine, the carnal and the ethereal.

From the tender salute to her homeland in the opening, Mardivino's lines effervesce with the rhythm of the tropics, resonating with a sense of belonging, an intimate connection to land and lineage. The poems are spells, incantations that stitch a mystical bond with the feminine. In "Plegaria", she beseeches strength, echoing the power of Mother Nature in her daughters, evoking the cosmic and the terrestrial in the same breath.

The book unfolds in four sections like the seasons of the soul - "enraizada," "ancestras—raíz," "ancestras—tronco," and "equinoccio—flora". Each illuminates a different facet of the feminine mystique, the roots reaching into the rich soil of ancestral wisdom, the trunk standing tall against the ravages of time, the equinox flowering in the brilliance of womanhood.

"Enraizada" is more than a mere collection of poems; it is a saga of the feminine spirit, a hymn to the ancestry, an ode to the land. Mardivino’s pen sings of the raw, earthy power of women, inscribing prayers into the ether, echoing in the heart long after the last page is turned.

In the grand dance of words, Mardivino pirouettes gracefully, spinning tales of passion and pain, beauty and resilience. With "Enraizada," she plants herself firmly in the fertile ground of contemporary poetry, blossoming with a voice that is uniquely, unapologetically hers. An arresting debut, "Enraizada" leaves a lingering scent, a yearning for the mystical whisper of the feminine divine.

Miriam Damaris Maldonado studied psychology, social work, and gender studies. She is a poet, essayist, storyteller, activist, and feminist. Maldonado is the winner of the first place in the Literary Festival of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (Poetry in 2009 and Short Story in 2010). Her writings have been published in important media outlets in Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States of America. 
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Enraizada is a publication by Valparaíso Ediciones. Click to purchase here.

Reviewed by
Rossy E. Lima
05/20/2023

Rossy Evelin Lima, PhD, is an international award-winning poet. She has been awarded the Gabriela Mistral Award by the National Hispanic Honor Society, the Premio Internazionale di Poesia Altino in Italy, the International Latino Book Award, the Premio Orgullo Fronterizo Mexicano award by the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, the Premio Internazionale La Finestra Eterea in Italy, among others. She is the founder of Jade Publishing and Executive Director of Latino Book Review.

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