Alabanza: New and Selected Poems 1982-2002

Rating:
Summary: The political is poetical
Review: This volume of Espada's poetry offers some selections from previous works, as well as some absolutely stunning new poems. Espada's poems are no less than an attempt to bridge the chasm between identity and humanity, to find in the everyday struggles of working-class Latino/a people the common dreams of all of us for a sense of belonging and a longing for justice.

The title poem is a reflection on 9/11 and its consequences. Espada praises ("alabanza"="praise") the 43 restaurant workers at Windows on the World who perished in the tragedy. The respect he has for these human beings and for all of us in a post-9/11 world is both humbling and empowering. This is how we begin our healing. This is how we begin building a better world.