Tamarindo Dreams
Roberto A.  Rocha

Images of love, loss, family and hope fill the pages of Roberto A. Rocha's debut poetry book, Tamarindo Dreams: A Collection of Barrio Poetry.  In this poetic collection, we encounter the rich culture of South Texas and the journey of a man who tenderly longs for his past, but who also has a clear vision of what's to come.

Throughout the book, we experience deeply heartfelt images of nostalgia. In poems such as Pictures and En el Valle, the speaker gently caresses the memory of his parents and the holiness of the land where they are buried. In the moving poem, Carnales 4 Life, he describes the passing away of his dear friend. Here, the reader becomes a first hand witness to his friend's departure and a witness to the timeless bond. "I made you laugh one last time,/ and then sang 'Prieta Linda' into your ear./ I started the verse, and you finished it./ Just like old times." In poems such as El Pasado the speaker visits his old barrio (neighborhood) while realizing how much he has changed.

"I saw the old house.
The one on the south side. 
The one I grew up in.
It looked the same on the outside,
light brown with dark trim,
just like me
but it had been renovated on the inside,
​just like me." 

Nonetheless, the speaker also presses forward and addresses the present and the future with the same vigor and passion. This presentness is found in poems such as Mija and Sunny Boy, where the immense love for his children seems to pour out like an overflowing river.

Tamarindo Dreams is an enlightening and touching poetry collection that makes us reflect on that which matters the most—friends, family and love.

Roberto A. (Rob) Rocha is a native of the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, where most of the inspiration for his writing comes from. He was previously involved in ministerial projects. In 2008, he was featured in the Dallas Morning Star's Spanish publication, Al Dia, as one of the Top 20 Emerging Hispanic Leaders in Dallas. 

Tamarindo Dreams is a publication by Xulon Press. Click here to purchase.
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Reviewed by
Gerald A. Padilla
​9/8/2018

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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