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Saturday, May 23, 2020

Poem During the Plague: Poem 49

Sergio Inestrosa

Two strangers

In the twists and turns of this pandemic
In the meanders of the uncertain and unknown
Today, when leaving the confinement for the first time, 
Two strangers 
With their mouths protected by masks 
For fear of contagion 
They are, by chance, in the same row. 
Her body trembles from the proximity, now banned, 
(formerly perhaps longed for) 
Almost an invasion of the space of personal safety 
That she feels puts her at risk
(of course there is no guarantee of anything). 
From his clear eyes a luminous ray 
Filled with fear 
Paralyzes the other, strikes him as reckless; 
Fortunately, he realizes in time of his daring, 
Of his gross error. 
In what is called the new normality 
(no matter what it means) 
fear separates them and drives them away, 
The healthy distance, which repels even the shadow 
Of that other who retreats scared 
To his designated place, 
Leaving a void between them, 
That area denied, 
(which may, for the moment, give them security) 
Forbidden not to touch the other or with their breath.



*****   Sergio Inestrosa received his PhD in Literature from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Mexico in 1998. Sergio was a Jesuit student for 8 years in Central America, living in El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua. While in El Salvador he studied with Ignacio Ellacuria, a well known Jesuit scholar who was killed in 1988 by the military. When Professor Inestrosa returned to Mexico, he studied to receive a Masters in Communication and became a professor and researcher in the Communication field. He has presented many research papers in Mexico, Latin America, USA and Asia, and has published 6 books in Mexico. In 1999 he taught Spanish at the Estrella Mountain College in Avondale, Arizona, and in 2000 he conducted Postdoctoral research at Harvard, focusing on the works of Octavio Paz. Since coming to Endicott, Professor Inestrosa has been teaching Spanish and Mexican Culture and has been busy organizing a Spanish Cine Club on campus. He has also developed the Spanish minor and designed many new courses, including Spanish for Professionals, Spanish Cinema, Spanish Translation, Spanish Composition, Latin American History and Culture, and a Latin American literature course. 
Sergio Inestrosa's area of expertise includes: US/Mexico relations. His recent collection of poetry is Los Bordes del Placer

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