The prose poems in Poemas de las Madres eloquently convey Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral's uncanny empathy with all women, but above all with those who, unlike Mistral herself, were fortunate enough to have borne children. We sense the grave weight of her unborn child, share her mother-to-be's fears--moments made even more bittersweet when we discover behind them Mistral's grief over the suicide of a loved one.

