So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water Until It Breaks: POEMS (National Poetry Series) - Softcover

Rigoberto Gonzalez was born in Bakersfield, California, and raised in Michoacan, Mexico, the son and grandson of migrant farm workers. Educated at the University of California at Riverside and at Davis and at Arizona State University, he was awarded a University Award from the Academy of American Poets.
 

Selected by Ai for this years National Poetry Series, Gonz lezs first volume of mostly straightforward narratives with their somber ironies and death-drenched imagery rely on a multicultural appeal for their uniqueness. As in the awkward title, hes translating his Mexican heritage for readers who are meant to gasp at the poverty and superstitions of his ancestors south of the border. A number of portraits illustrate the sad Mexican lives: Planidera, a professional mourner, saves the tears from her husbands death for her job; in Sentimental Undertakers, the local coffin-maker saves old, worthless pesos to place with the dead, a folk custom; The Exhibitionist Umbrella Salesman doesnt understand the townfolks reluctance to buy his product, which they fear will jinx the weather; and, best of all, Craft of the Candlestick Maker nicely describes his devotional art. Many of these poems are haunted by the spirits of the dead, and the masks, dolls, and mannequins throughout the volume all focus on the departed. Gonz lez blends native lore with Catholic belief (not much of it doctrinal), and in his best work, echoes the repetitions of biblical verse. Many poems about his grandparents are affectionate memories of reading Spanish together, or looking at the stars. Gonz lez, however, also weighs down his volume with social commentary implicit in portraits of exploited border workers, Mexican-Americans who endure prejudice, a migrant worker who picks grapes for the wine of the affluent, and a repairman up north who commits suicide (because he feels so lost and lonely). In the title sequence, Gonz lez flexes his magical- realist muscle in a poem in four voices about sexual jealousy and revenge. A clear and focused debut, but one thats also too predictable as a result. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.