A powerful account of the symbolic murder of the poet’s mother.

From the first poem in this bilingual edition of The Men Who Killed My Mother, it is evident that the mother in “Our Mother” (“Nuestra Madre”) is not only Fernando Valverde’s. The soulful refrain of “mother/madre” might be anyone’s mother whose suffering is palpable in a world legislated over by men. Issues such as orphanhood, abuse, violence, manipulation, and fear are treated with the rawness of someone who has tasted the venom of betrayal. This is a lyrical dark garden of faith and family, exposing treachery and cruelty, and anger at injustice, from the voice of a son with deep love for his mother—for her honor, dignity, and dreams. 

Valverde leads us into a forest full of wolves and serpents under the governance of civil society. He has received many awards for his poetry and is recognized as one of the most highly acclaimed poets of his generation in Spain. This heartfelt English translation by Gordon E. McNeer captures the power of Valverde’s poetic cadences and its haunting evocative lyricism.

Fernando Valverde is an award-winning poet, journalist, critic, and associate professor of Spanish and poetry at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several poetry collections, and his works have been translated into several languages, including his most recent book, America. Gordon E. McNeer is a distinguished poet and translator of poetry. He is professor of Spanish at the University of North Georgia. His most recent book is Poemas mexicanos.

I 
Nuestra madre
Our Mother 
Lo poco que quedaba de mi madre
The Little that Remained of my Mother 
Mujer aprende el significado de las palabras
Woman Learns the Meaning of Words
Madre grita en silencio desde el baño
Mother Screams in Silence from the Bath
Mujer cruza los páramos del miedo 
Woman Crosses the Wastelands of Fear
Madre entrega su cuerpo a los mercaderes
Woman Surrenders her Body to the Money Changers
Madre recorre el jardín solariego
Mother Walks Through the Manor Garden 
Mujer arrodillada escucha a los profetas
Woman on her Knees Listens to the Prophets 
Madre escribe en mis labios un poema
Mother Writes a Poem on my Lips
Mujer sangra una herencia
Woman Bleeds an Inheritance 
II 
Madre entra en el mar como en la muerte 
Mother Enters into the Sea as into Death
Mujer sobrevive a un naufragio 
Mother Survives a Shipwreck 
Madre deshace su última maleta
Mother Unpacks her Last Suitcase
Mujer devorada por perros
Woman Devoured by Dogs 
Madre esconde el dolor
Mother Hides her Pain 
Mujer llena de escombros
Woman Full of Debris
Madre pierde su anillo de la suerte
Mother Loses her Good Luck Ring 
Madre escribe una carta de amor
Mother Writes a Love Letter
Mujer mira al futuro 
Woman Looks into the Future 
Madre recibe un beso 
Mother Receives a Kiss 
Madre habita un país lleno de sombras 
Mother Inhabits a Country Full of Shadows
Mujer muestra sus pechos cortados sobre una bandeja 
Woman Displays her Slashed Breasts on a Silver Platter
Madre aparta el veneno de mi boca
Mother Take the Venom Away from my Mouth
Mujer entra en el templo
Woman Enters the Temple
Madre no deja de mirar al suelo
Mother Keeps Looking at the Ground
Mujer sale del bosque sin conocer la lluvia
Woman Leaves the Forest without Knowing the Rain
Ahora que estás muerta 
Now that You are Dead