Seen from the ground,
the palm trees stand about five meters apart
from one another
in the oscillating sand.
Yet up above,
open in green bursts
and never straying from their center and point of departure,
their leaves unfold and join
into a single frond
articulated by multiple chlorophylls.
The edges of their leaves remain unharmed
and in their interlacing, they sketch a vast twilight shadow,
which reminds us that
solitude may be nothing more
than a mistaken perspective.
— VALERIA CORREA FIZ
Valeria Correa Fiz is an Argentine writer based in Madrid. She is the author of the short story collections La condición animal (finalist for the “Gabriel García Márquez” Hispanic-American Short Story Prize) and Hubo un jardín, as well as several poetry collections. Her poetry has won the “Manuel del Cabral,” “Claudio Rodríguez,” and “Clara de Campoamor” international prizes and has been translated into German; her personal anthology Adrift was translated into English by Sundial House. She teaches writing workshops in Madrid and at the Instituto Cervantes in Milan.