"Rios inspires the mysterious and unforeseen forces that stay contained in the familiar."—The Washington Post

"Ríos supplies one other wonderful e-book of poems, wealthy in impeccable metaphors, that enjoy the ordinariness of morning espresso and the crackle of thunderous wilderness storms. in a single sonnet, Ríos addresses injustice within the borderlands, shooting with mathematical precision the standard struggles that many migrants face—'The border is an equation looking for an equals sign.' a sequence of sonnets approximately wilderness plant life abounds with brilliant, magical imagery—'Bougainvilleas don't bloom—they bleed' and 'Apricots are eggs laid in bushes via invisible golden hens.' Likewise, Ríos's bestiary sonnets overflow with inimitable similes, invaluable of a ebook unto themselves—'Minnows are the place a river’s leg has fallen asleep' and 'Gnats are sneezes nonetheless flying around.' This strong quantity is the ideal position to begin for readers new to Ríos and a prize for professional fans."—Booklist

In his 13th publication, Alberto Rios casts an severe barren region gentle at the wealthy tales unfolding alongside the Mexico-US border. Peppered with Spanish and touches of magical realism, usual existence and its easy props—morning showers, spilled birdseed, wintry weather lemons—becomes an exploration of mortality and humanity, and the various probabilities of how lives may possibly but be lived.

Mad Honey

Made from fabulous rhododendron, toxic rhododendron,
Very difficult-to-pronounce rhododendron—whatever

Rhododendron even is—I must glance it up myself,
This notice sounding hyped up, peacocky with its

Indianapolisly-long spelling, all these letters relocating in and out.
But the plant itself, the plant and the bees that locate it:

The bees see in its crimson flower, first, a crimson flower.
They don't spell it. they don't dwell in worry of quizzes,

Purple supplying what it has to supply, unapologetic, with out further
Definition, pink impossible to resist to the artist's and to the bee's eye—

Who can blame both one this first-grade impulse towards love?
Purple, constantly donning whatever low-cut . . .

Alberto Rios is the Poet Laureate of Arizona and host of the PBS software Books & Co. He used to be a finalist for the nationwide e-book Award for his poetry quantity The Smallest Muscle within the Human Body. He teaches at Arizona kingdom college and lives in Chandler, Arizona.