Wild Animals on the Moon and Other Poems [Paperback]

Naomi Ayala (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

poetry by Puerto Rican/American teacher & activist

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ayala's poems are bold, surrealistic, freewheeling...Ayala's style contributes to the power of what she has to say." -- American Book Review

"Some women are silent--they worry about what they say and how they say it...Ayala won't be silenced." -- Connecticut Post

"These are superbly imagistic poems about real people and places..." -- Eclectica

Abuelo's Garden
Airborne
Amber Hands
Consuelo
A Coqui In Nueva York
Dance
El Placer De La Palabra
El Yunque
Even At The March
Everyday
Fifteen-ten
For S
For Late Night Poems
Glass
Haiti
I Have Not Asked You
If We Passed You
Immigrant's Voice
In A World Of Few Merengues
It Was Late & She Was Climbing
Landscape
Lawns
A Man Will Rush From Behind Me
A Mighty Servant Who Never Sleeps
Morela From Peru
My Brother Pito
The Night I Walk Into Town
Papo, Who'd Wanted To Be An Artist
Personal History
Poverty
Queen Joy
Race
Reform
Secrets
Sixteen
Statement
Sweeping
The Tattoo
This Breathless Minute
Up In The Air
The Week I Was Eighteen
What Am I
Wild Animals On The Moon
Words
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Poems explore issues of racial identity, independence, and hope as Ayala explores her experiences of being Puerto Rican on the mainland and all this entails. Her poems provide powerful free verse testimony to the Puerto Rican experience in this country and hold both literary and social value. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, Naomi Ayala is the author of three books of poetry: Wild Animals on the Moon, and This Side of Early. Her third book of poetry is forthcoming from Bilingual Review Press in 2009. She works with innovative youth programs, and makes her living as an education consultant, translator, and teacher.

Product Details

• Paperback: 70 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Books; 1 edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880684446
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684443
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,130,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great poetic representation of boriqua pride, January 10, 2005

By 

K. A. Torres "Proud Boriqua" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild Animals on the Moon and Other Poems (Paperback)

I had the honor of meeting Ms. Ayala in Maryland last semester. Her words are very powerful and important to everyone who has a struggle in their life. She does a great job at expressing her feelings. Boriqua pride forever!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW QUOTES, July 27, 2001

By 

Curbstone Press, Jantje Tielken, Editorial As... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wild Animals on the Moon and Other Poems (Paperback)

"In lyrical,original language expressing anger, hope, optimism, and a fierce independence, Naomi Ayala explores being Puerto Rican on the mainland--displaying pride in her culture coupled with the pain of exclusion, vividly describing her encounters with racism and poverty, and the power of love in these difficult circumstances." --Hispancic Outlook in Higher Education

"Naomi Ayala writes poems like water; a clear strong current, sometimes tranquil, sometimes furious, but always swirling with life. There is a lyrical passion for justice here, an out-loud celebration of struggle and survival rooted in the Puerto Rican experience. Wild animals, indeed! These poems are wild, in the best sense of the word." --Martín Espada

"Ayala's poems are bold, surrealistic, freewheeling. She plays with placement on the page...Ayala's style contributes to the power of what she has to say." --Margaret Huntington, American Book Review

"Some women are silent--they worry about what they say and how they say it. But...Naomi Ayala will not be silenced in any language." --Teresa Cruz, Connecticut Post

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep,heart felt expression., January 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wild Animals on the Moon and Other Poems (Paperback)

Don't sell yourself short.Read it,feel it,dare to open your heart