POEMS BY MARIELA CORDERO – VENEZUELA

Mariela Cordero. Valencia, Venezuela (1985) is a lawyer, poet, writer, translator and visual artist, Her poetry has been published in several international anthologies. She has received some distinctions, among them:Third Alejandra Pizarnik Argentina Poetry Prize (2014). First Prize of the II Iberoamerican Poetry Contest Euler Granda, Ecuador (2015). Second Prize of Poetry Concorso Letterario Internazionale Bilingüe Tracceperlameta Edizioni, Italy (2015) Micropoems in Spanish Award in the III TRANSPalabr@RTE contest (2015). First Place in the International Poetry Contest #AniversarioPoetasHispanos mention literary quality, Spain (2016). Finalist Aco Karamanow International Poetry Prize, Macedonia (2022).César Vallejo World Prize for Literary Excellence (2023). Sahitto International Award for Literary Excellence (2023). Third Prize in the Il Meleto Competition of Guido Gozzano, Italia (2024) She has published the following books of poetry: El cuerpo de la duda Editorial Publicarte, Caracas, Venezuela (2013) Transfigurar es un país que amas Editorial Dos Islas Miami, United States (2020). La larga noche de las jaurías Editorial Nautilus, Spain (2023).
She has participated in several international literary meetings and festivals, among them: The Princeton Festival (United States), 2023 Kaohsiung World Poetry Festival (Taiwan), International Festival Poesía Xochimilco (Mexico) Her poems have been translated into Hindi, Czech, Estonian, Serbian, Shona, Uzbek, Romanian, Macedonian,Korean, Hebrew, Bengali, English, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Polish.Currently coordinates the sections #VenezuelanPoetry and #WorldPoets in the Poetry Magazine Poémame (Spain). Editorial Advisor of the magazine of the Institute of Symbology (South Korea).

SURRENDER

Surrender
like a story that melts
expose
the wrinkle and the scar
to reveal also
the strong smile of the body
to give to drink the cloudy water of the heart.
Surrender

barefoot
with no other attire than the candle
of the indomitable eyes,

pure
as one who surrenders
to death.

THE HAND IN THE SHADOW

There is a hand in the shadow
devoid of clemency
expelled from the empire of caresses
it does not know the trade
of building closeness or prayers.

This hand
bursts
with the flutter of slaughter,
its movements foul
the waves
of the assaulted body.
It tears with precision
the submissive skin,
baptizes the wound
and draws a line
with his steel finger.
Only
wants to give you
the scar

THE SENSED FEATURES

All the faces go astray
on the journey,
the hungry memory
aspires to retain them
but the traces and signs
are diluted in the tide of bewilderment.
In the crowd blooms
immediate
like a blow
a unique face

unknown
that imposes itself
and unsettles you
until you are pierced
by the fulminating joy
of ending the search.
The beloved face
gathers
all the sensed features

Prepared Angela Kosta Executive Director of MIRIADE Magazine, Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator, promoter