José Luis Rivas (b. 1950, Tuxpan, Veracruz) was elected to the Mexican Academy of Language in 2013. A prolifically published poet, translator, and essayist, he has been awarded many national literary prizes for his books of poetry and for his translations of major poets from Europe, the US, and the Caribbean. The poem above is taken from Por mor del mar (2002).
A stream in Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz. Photo by Anwar Vazquez/Flickr
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Then they landed in large pastures, light aircraftsof gringo registrationfrom which som…