Red Hot Salsa, edited by Lori Marie Carlson, took Latino and Hispanic poets from across America, gathered them into a book, and featured their poems about life in the United States and their own experiences. She separated it into different categories/chapters, one of those being “Amor”, or love.

The poems themself are written by 27 different people. Some poems use Spanish and English to make their point and deliver it effectively. These poems show how bilingualism can be shown in poems and not have any metaphors or meanings dissipate. 

There is one called the “Bilingual Love Poem,” by José Antonio Burciaga, in the book. It is an erratic and impulsive poem fueled by love for a person. But, through that, it exemplifies the true mixing of the Spanish and English languages by saying, “Your smile is un rayo de sol… sparking into tierra de fuego.”

There are two versions of this poem, as with every poem in the book, a Spanish and an English version. That excerpt was from the English version, but if we go to the Spanish version it says, “Tu sonrisa es un sunrise…chisporroteando en un mar de amar.” The words flip, turning “your smile” not “tu sonrisa” and “un rayo de sol”  into “un sunrise.” This poem shows the beauty of these two languages and it ties the book together into an exquisite bite of poetry.

For me, reading through the book was a whirlwind of emotions. Sometimes it would bore me; sometimes I would have to put it down to take a breather; sometimes I would even feel the pain of the poet. But, when I read that pain, I could see the hope and love shining through. 

One poem hit me with the force of a speeding bus. It was called “My Graduation Speech,” and it was written by Tato Laviera. This poem made me fall in love with the book. It helped me realize that other people share my insecurities, my doubts, and my fears.

The premise of the poem is that the narrator feels trapped between two languages, Spanish and English. He talks about how he feels speaking Spanish, how he would misunderstand words, even calling himself “tonto” (a fool/foolish) when speaking both languages. This poem touched every single piece of me that felt insecure about my mastery of the Spanish language and validated it, making it seem insignificant and unworthy of my fear.

I am a person who grew up speaking and listening to both Spanish and English. This poem reminded me that my struggle isn’t unique and that other people are going through the exact same thing. This little book of poetry is filled with many fun and interesting poems, but also sad and reminiscent poems about love and sadness. The 140 pages of poetry will caress and ease you into it, while also packing punches of significance and love behind it. This little book has made me reevaluate my understanding of my identity, my culture, and my comprehension of love at its finest. 

But all the good must come with the bad. This book had poems that really didn’t exemplify anything and instead seemed like filler. While some may disagree with me, I found some poems to not be related to the theme of the chapter, or even the theme of the book. Although, that may have been me just misunderstanding the poems. I can’t say that the book was bad, just one or two parts really stood out.