Step into the philosophical depths of «Relave: material particulado,» published in 2021, where poetic verses explore the profound concept of resource exploitation in the Atacama region. These poems traverse the intricate landscapes of mining, shedding light on the philosophical implications. Tailings, the remnants left behind from mineral refinement—specifically copper mining in Chile—are the focal point. Divided into four expansive poems—Tone Prospection, Impact Study, Ludus Luditas, and Open-Cut Still Life—alongside a concluding piece titled «Eschatology 0,» this collection navigates the nuanced layers of human impact and ecological consequence.
Vicente was born in 1986 Copiapo, Chile. Teacher by profession, with a degree in philosophy and in education. Proudly carries the family business of baker and pastry chef. He’s member of the Copiapo Writers Society, with whom he has worked in the production of the magazine De-cierto lugar. He participated in La Sebastiana poetry workshop in Valparaíso in 2010 – 2012. Vicente is part of the Latin American workshop of young poets invited by Pablo Neruda Foundation. Founding member of the Literror scene in 2014. In 2015 his poetry book El ojo del lagarto was published in Concreto Azul, a digital magazine of Valparaiso; at the same time, he was involved in its workshop. Today he lives in the cove of Flamenco’s beach located in the Province of Chañaral, Atacama Region, and works as a virtual philosophy professor.
He participated in La Sebastiana poetry workshop in Valparaíso in 2010 – 2012. He is part of the Latin American workshop of young poets invited by Pablo Neruda Foundation. Founding member of the Literror scene in 2014. In 2015 his poetry book El ojo del lagarto was published in Concreto Azul, a digital magazine of Valparaiso; at the same time, he was involved in its workshop. Today he lives in the cove of Flamenco’s beach located in the Province of Chañaral, Atacama Region, and works as a virtual philosophy professor.
The following are some of the poems found in Vicente’s book:
Tone prospection XI
Prospecting and drilling machines
Steel syringes penetrating the ground
crushing the sea floor
deserts plains
While little astronaut-men
tirelessly apply themselves to the extracting
mining site of crude oil
fossils diluted in mud
liquid fuel history
fluid mechanics
between the gears
of a clock that shows
the future is now
the catastrophe every day:
Open-Cut Still Life XIII
A forest of chañar trees is felled
there where the desert begins
they cut down the pepper trees
that for centuries accompanied the riverbed
They impose asphalt
concrete against the river
The architecture of the Mall
among the ruins of Chilean mill
and heaps of tailings
The crushing of the city
in the name of progress:
Ludus luditas II
On the scene
the childhood
a shadow
that runs away from itself
lost among the alleyways
wastelands and ruins
Architecture
of a nameless city
crossed out by smog
capital figure of the situation
The image the shadow
is lost from sight
vanishes amidst the words
that try to describe it
at the bottom the childhood
sinks into the tailing:
