First Light: Selected Poems
Alberto Romero
(April 26, 2010)
978-1434991867

First Light: Selected Poems by Alberto Romero offers 30 poems printed in their original Spanish and also translated to English. After reading any poetry collection the reader should take away a good sense of who the author is. This is definitely the case with this wonderful assortment of the artist’s best work.

Mr. Romero is a man of passion, evident in many titles here. In “Embrace,” written for his wife, he states, I want to enter your open breast to remain surrounded by you. He is also a family man and has included three poems for his offspring. In “To My Children VI,” he writes, You, when you smile at my made-up songs and words, your yawns and your innocent breath that I come to breathe in. His faith is obvious as well in the opening selection “Prayer” where he simply says, My Lord Thank you.

Mr. Romero finds great satisfaction in his craft. He shows this in several poems, none more than in “I Write And I Am Saved.” I come back from writing as one who returns from making love. Perhaps a feeling only a writer can experience. As with many poets, their work can also be a record of their darker times. This is true for Romero as well in this collection. He states, It hurts to breathe, hurts to speak, hurts to think, and it hurts to love in “Pain II.”

My favourite poem was the romantically powerful “When I’m With You.” Mr. Romero writes, I wish for nothing more. Embracing you, I embrace it all. I believe we all hope to find a love this all-encompassing, and when we do, our hearts are at peace.

Readers will immediately identify with this diverse work. Most of the selections have fewer than 100 words, as the author packs a great deal of himself into each piece. Great poetry should stir your emotions. With First Light, you’ll feel Alberto Romero’s unconditional love for his children, his spirituality, his losses, his passion, and more as he has truly opened a portal into his life.  

Highly Recommended.

By William Potter for Reader’s Choice Book reviews

Alberto Romero was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1994 he moved to the United States. At present he lives in Naples, Italy, with his family. He discovered poetry at a young age. His work has been read in public to a great response from the audiences. Some of his poems have been previously published in Europe.