routines/goodbyes

Hael López’s poems hum with the soft insistence of the ocean overheard in a seashell. Attuned to loss longing and the risk of hurt that goes hand in hand with the possibility of care Routines/Goodbyes is an intimate evocative book that sings in Ariel Francisco’s translation. Raising a voice both gentle and strong these poems continually call for the dignity of what they mourn: “Every bird should have the right / to die by night / over the sea / to be swallowed / by the restless mirror / and float on…. / They should have the right / to never close their wings.” Robin MyersMinimalist in style but unrestrained in its depth and meaning Hael López’s debut collection Routines/Goodbyes is a frenetic heart calling for respite—from longing and loss grief and nostalgia. Written in sparse poignant lines López’s poems assess our human urge to hold on remember. And maybe this is what we need in this world—a writer unafraid to stay us in the difficult space between one feeling and the next. María Isabel Alvarez