Photo courtesy of Mario Duarte
In Fall of 2023, Arkana editors had the chance to speak with writer and poet Mario Duarte, whose wonderful poem “Turquoise” appears in Arkana’s 14th issue. This is the first of several contributor spotlights which will be posted every Friday on our blog for the next several weeks, so keep an eye out for more interesting interviews featuring our amazing artists!
Arkana: What was your inspiration for this poem?
Mario Duarte: It was inspired by a real event, a vacation to Santa Fe and a relationship in crisis.
ARK: Is the door mentioned in your poem metaphorical or physical?
MD: It is both. The protagonist of the poem feels a sense of closure literally and figuratively.
ARK: I like your simplicity. What are some of the thought processes that allow for such a strong poem to be written in such few words? Or I guess how did you determine what details were significant to the poem?
MD: My strategy in this short poem was to focus on a few details and actions; for example, the shirt, the color, how it was buttoned, how the shirt is used to dry tears, and the closing of a door. Every detail must invoke a sense of who these two people are, the state of their relationship, and what happened. The details and actions create a scene that despite being small encapsulates the end of something larger, the realization and emotional weight that something is over that still haunts the protagonist.
ARK: I love your use of the word “sighing” in the last line of the poem. What is the logic behind this word choice? Is there a logic?
MD: The word “sighing” is meant to literally invoke the sound of a door closing but more significantly it is cry of despair and regret that the relations is over,.
ARK: The way you break the lines in this poem is one of the best things about it- It feels almost as if the reader is breathing at the pace of someone crying as they read it- was this intentional on your part as a writer?
MD: I do think the line breaks reflect the sadness, regret, and the torment of the speaker of the poem—the enjambment of the first line initiates that feeling of being off center or broken.
ARK: Your bio indicated that you have an upcoming short story collection- tell me about it!
MD: Thanks for asking. In April 2024, the Ice Cube Press will release Monkeys, a series of linked stories inspired by my childhood. It centers around a Mexican American boy growing up a in predominately white town in the Midwest. In January 2024, the Resistencia Press will publish To the Death of the Author, a poetry collection. It consists of 72 short or micopoems, including “Turquoise” that are a kind of diary of my thoughts, feelings, sightings, experiences over a six-month period of my life.
ARK: This poem’s simplicity is a great part of it’s beauty and I’m curious if you had earlier drafts, and what they looked like! What did your drafting process look like for this poem?
MD: I typically write a quick first draft in my notebook which is likely the case with this poem. Later, I will type it into the computer, and make changes as I type. Even later, I will look at it again, make changes, and then send it out to a magazine. These changes are usually the refinements of a word or sharpening an image. If it is rejected, I will make some changes, usually small ones and send it back out, especially if it is a poem I think should be published. It was very likely that most of “Turquoise” is unchanged from the first draft.
If you’re looking forward to more work from Mr. Duarte, he recently finished writing another short story collection that focuses on the lives of the elderly. He has also completed the first draft of a new collection of poems that are absurdist in nature, a style inspired in part by Russell Edson, Charles Simic, and James Tate. He is now beginning to work on another poetry collection and another short story collection–as you can tell, he likes to stay busy.
Arkana Blog 