Chary Gumeta [Mexico]

Love
 
Love,
sometimes I wake up
with the feeling that you're still by my side
I feel your imaginary kiss
touch the corner of my mouth.
Over your memory the dark birds nest.
My days are sheltered by the depressing fog
and life clings to my body like a disease.
 
There is no balsam on earth
to heal the wound of loss.
The tissue of my skin loses the memory of your hands
 
And I don't know what to do with this feeling
that boils inside me.
Love,
In your silence live the dark call of the sunset
loneliness takes over the house.
 

Illegal
 
Before crossing the border
before stepping into that hazy land
I’ll kiss you as proof of my love
and tell you how I learned to love you
under the shadows of the trees
in our distant Quezaltepeque.
 
Once the strange wind hits us
we’ll let ourselves be devoured by the smoke and noise
of that damned animal,
and if we’re still together
 we’ll close our eyes
and pretend
that we’re dreaming.
 
 
Exiled
 
To set on course
and separate ourselves from our land
is a pain that only we know
the exiled
the ones without a country
we die slowly
in pieces
ignored
without our roots
far away
without the shelter of the branches
on our trees.
 
 
Author’s Bionote:
 
*Chary Gumeta (María del Rosario, Velázquez Gumeta, Chiapas, Mexico). Contemporary Mexican writer known for her innovative and emotional style. She has several books of poetry, the most recent: “At the Moment of your Death I Tied a Thread Inside Your Body” (Órbita Editorial, Guatemala, 2025) and “Ancestors” (Editorial El Nido del Fénix, Mexico, 2026); she has received publication funds and recognitions in Mexico and other countries. This year, 2026, she was awarded the Jaime Sabines medal by AEPECH, A.C. for her contribution to Mexican literature. Her poetry is considered a fresh and authentic voice in the current literary landscape nationally and internationally. She is a worthy representative of Mexican poetry to the world. She directs the fanzine “Yomoram Jayatzame”, which promotes poetry made by women. She is the director of the San Cristóbal World Festival of Contemporary Poetry; Coordinator at the Multidisciplinary Project Posh Festival of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

(Photo by Ornán Gómez)