Félix Garmendía follows up his first book, Flying On Invisible Wings, with a collection of poems bearing witness to some of the most frightening occurrences of the last fifty years.
Through Poems of Reckoning and Hope we witness the disinformation, lies and bigotry of an out-of-control administration, the explosion of racism, the pandemic, and the storming of the Capitol. We watch exhausted healthcare workers exit hospitals to a round of applause. We see Black people murdered by police. We shiver at the authoritarianism and misinformed rage that almost guts the heart of our democracy.
And yet, through Félix, we also somehow find the grace and courage to laugh and find our own oases of hope.
In his second volume of poetry we meet Félix again after he has been settled in Washington Heights for years with his husband, Denis. With Denis, he and his wheelchair Purple Raven swing around Fort Tryon Park, the streets, the building, and the apartment in all seasons.
Because of his Inclusion Body Myositis, Félix has become adept at typing with one finger. He has also become enchantingly adept at capturing the mood of a year, a day, a season, a place. As in his first collection, Flying On Invisible Wings, Félix sculpts with words the heart of his wishes, hopes, failings, and cares. But here, in his second collection, they are often the wishes, hopes, failings, and cares of a nation, as well.
Poems of Reckoning and Hopeis available in original trade paperback and ebook from your favorite online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and more.
