“Your gaze awakens in me a zoo of heartbeats” . The writing on one of the walls of the San Jose Catholic High School in Hojancha is that intense, seductive and metaphorical. It has turned into a birthplace for young poets.
“Poetas de Altura” (High-Level Poets) is the name of the poetry workshop where student Tania Matarrita, author of the opening line, and five other kids from Hojancha transmit their feelings under the direction of Professor Carlos Briceño, better known as the poet Carlitos Deep, who began this initiative two years ago.
Sebastian Meza, Michel Natalia Marin, Victor Daniel Briceño, Tania Matarrita, Luis Miguel Zeledon and Mariana Diaz know that the art of poetry is partly inspiration but, above all,merits discipline, perseverance and a passion for words.
“In the beginning, the poems that we made were not so elaborate, but here we have learned rules about how to write better and polish the verses. We have also been able to define the poetry styles that we want to express. For me it has been particularly hard to write short poetry, but with practice, I’m adapting,” said Mariana Diaz.
For poet Carlitos Deep, writing poetry goes beyond throwing phrases around in the air, so it is necessary to refine the content well.
“The kids have learned that, with two or three lines, they can express ideas and different images that allow the reader to imagine and recreate different scenarios. It is important to keep in mind that when someone publishes what they wrote, this ceases to be theirs, so the reader can take ownership of the content and can give it their own interpretation,” said the mentor.
“The best poems spring from those poets who have a broken soul. The more messy the workshop of the soul, the better ideas flow,” he added.
The young onesmeet every Friday in the lawn area of the school, where they are inspired to write poems about love, heartbreak, utopias and all of the subjects that mightspring from the soul, letting some social criticism escape occasionally.
The vision of “Poetas de Altura” is to be able to publish a poetry book containing all those poems (about 50 poems).
Some of them shared with us these fragments from their poems:
“You don’t see past my face that expresses a happiness that does not belong to me” (Mariana Diaz).
“Yourgaze awakens in me a zoo of heartbeats” (Tania Matarrita).
“You… and your carnivorous gaze” (C. Deep).
“I know that you left but I can’t avoid the memory of your body that set my mind on fire” (Sebastian Meza).
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