The Parachutist by Jose Hernandez Diaz
I am a huge fan of magical realism and Jose Hernandez Diaz’ new book The Parachutist is right up my alley. The collection of prose poems are often absurd, often funny, but still deliver an emotional connection. The language is direct and accessible. The imagery combines sunny Southern California with seemingly ancient and dark Mexican influences (skeletons and dragons and jaguars). There are sweet moments, strange moments, politically biting moments. It’s got everything I like and more. Buy here.
From “The Hole”
A man in a Pink Floyd shirt dug a giant hole in his backyard. Someone had told him to go to hell earlier that day. Assuming hell to be beneath the soil, the man in a Pink Floyd shirt picked up a shovel, and got to work. . .
From “The True Poet”
My abuelo was the true poet:
The way he tilled the land with his hands,
Beneath the sun; he seemed to touch the sky
With his hoe. My abuelo was the true poet:
The way he joked with his mule as they rode,
The two of them alone with the dawn;
He seemed to reach the moon with his laugh . . .
“The Most Poetic Thing”
At 6 a.m., I read Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo. I take a photo
Of “La Lola” in the sunlight and post it on Facebook and Instagram.
The talented poet Dara Wier likes it. That makes my day.
Then, I submit poems to a literary magazine and prepare
My submissions for August 1st, when a few more journals open.
Also, I edit a prose poem about a dragon and a horse rider.
In the evening, when I’m finishing up some work on the computer
At the local library, an O.G. from the neighborhood with gang tattoos
Covering his body and face walks in the library with his daughers
And helps them look for books. They tell him the names of the books,
And he says “Let’s look for them alphabetically.” I can’t help but smile,
As one of the toughest guys in the barrio is in the children’s section
Of the library looking for books with his kids. Much respect, though,
I keep thinking: that’s the most poetic thing I’ve seen all day.