The old uncle, who “wanders time’s streets” and seems to possess secrets of the cosmos, “the names of the stars,” passes to “the other side.” When finally “his old sun” goes out, “we,” the children, “were very far away,” unable to accompany him at the final hour. As in many of Casazola’s poems, death, like life, is a solitary journey, a passage. The style here is simple and straightforward. The first is dominated by childhood memories of loss and of guilt for not maintaining intense bonds with an eccentric and loving older relative, a great uncle. The four poems that follow are from A veces, un poco de sol (1978). The passage of time as anguish and loss is the most persistent theme in her work, and related to it are others ― the landscape as a source of enthusiasm and vitality, and an overpowering nostalgia for departed loved ones, youth, and innocence. Two key influences in Casazola’s poetry are Latin American romanticism and modernism, both robust and enduring literary currents in her home country. Her songs, which are also poetic and embody the tenacious and timeless spirit of the Andes, have been recorded by many well-known artists from Bolivia and other Latin American countries. In Bolivia, Casazola is also a well-known composer, guitarist, and singer, and a strong lyrical and musical tendency is evident in her poems.
Spirituality is a persistent theme in her work, as are the memory of childhood, the presence of the Bolivian landscape, and a bittersweet longing for lost loved ones. Lthough her poetry has not previously been translated into English, Matilde Casazola is one of Bolivia’s most prolific and popular living poets. Matilde Casazola Of Worms and Roots and Falling WatersĬommentary and translation by Roseanne Mendoza