Speaking con su Sombra
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda

Speaking con su Sombra is an emotional, poetic train in which the reader accompanies its author, Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, on a journey of love, loss, and longing. In every one of the seventy-three poems, the speaker is bereaved and still mourning the death of the woman who brought him into this world; his beloved "Mami Rose" (23). Using free verse to liberate an entire spectrum of emotions with his words, the poet paints a painful landscape filled with reminiscences of the times they spent together. The heartfelt words in each of his poems are like sighs exhaled by the poet for his mother. In the poem titled, "¿Dónde pongo mi tristeza?" he describes her as "the most holy and beautiful of spirits…/ I need to find a place to put…/ all this tension, I just… / miss the goddess rays…" (28-29).

The unbearable anguish he feels after losing his mother is conveyed by the poet as being both mental and physical. In "Happiness Used to Be a Friend of Mine," the poet's concept of time echoes how those of us who've lost a loved one view the passing of days, weeks, months, and years: "I watched mi Mami's soul…/ flow back into el sol, recalling…/ how hungry I was and even…/ though it's been nine…/ months I am still mourning…" (31).

Grief transmutes into a physical entity in "Papi says, I Could Lose 15-20 lbs," where the poet describes it this way: "But the sadness, just like…/ my hambre never waits…/ always hungering to find…/ me, within these extra…/ pounds, libras, never belly…/ full, mi barriga always…/ eating me, feeling empty…" (44).

The journey continues on this poetic train where the poet fondly recalls conversations with his mother, intimate moments, such as his mother cutting his hair, and even places like the thrift stores they visited, and of course, her wisdom doled out as consejos or advice. Speaking con su Sombra is a soul-stirring collection of poems written from Adrian Ernesto Cepeda's poetic heart, a loving elegy for his mother, Mami Rose.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda is the author of So Many Flowers, So Little Time from Red Mare Press, Flashes & Verses… Becoming Attractions from Unsolicited Press, Between the Spine from Picture Show Press and La Belle Ajar & We Are the Ones Possessed from CLASH Books.

Speaking con su Sombra is a publication by Alegria Publishing. Click to contact the press here.

Reviewed by
Julieta Corpus
1/12/2022

Julieta Corpus is a bilingual poet whose work has been included in the Texas Poetry Calendar. She co-wrote Borderland Mujeres, published by Texas A&M Press, and her first poetry collection, "Of Love And Departures / De Amor Y Despedidas" by EM Editoriales in 2021 is now available through Amazon.

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