In these videos, José Olivarez dramatically reads his poems “Mexican American Disambiguation” and “Getting Ready to Tell My Dad ‘I Love You” It Rains” also from his book (citizen) (illegal).
As you watch these videos and read his poem (citizen) (illegal), consider how repetition is used as a poetic form. Also, remembering what read from Billy Collins, how does this poem “move”? What is discovered by the end?
Like Willie Perdomo, Olivarez’s sensitive use of multiple languages and dialects makes his word choices come alive both on the page and the stage. (Bonus read, José Olivarez’s essay “Maybe I Could Save My Life by Writing Poetry”)
“Mexican American Disambiguation”
- For the text of the poem, visit this link on Brooklynpoets.org.
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyjepSsTDX4
“Getting Ready to Tell My Dad ‘I Love You’ It Rains”
