Poetry Competition 2024 Best Poem in the Spanish Language Soleda

by Teresa Mascarenhas

lecho de agua marina
golpe de sal en la mirada

un cuenco vacio al fondo
un árbol sin aire

la tarde yerma
inaudible
con su derrumbe de pájaros

cielo extraño que
estremece
muda piel

hace del hombre
animal de costumbre
escama de tiempo
silencio

a oscuras
la única luz
se vuelve olvido

Judge’s Comment: Spanish Language Winner
Soledad
There was something quite Lorquiano about this brief poem, full of depth and relating the human condition to the passing of time and the full awe at nature. There is a strength and confidence in the construction of the poem itself, with all its room to breathe as it manages to capture so much with an economy of words.