Virgil Suarez: "Song to the Banyon"

The VPR Poem of the Week is Virgil Suarez’s “Song to the Banyon,” which appeared in the Fall/Winter 2001-2002 issue (Volume III, Number 1) of Valparaiso Poetry Review.

Virgil Suarez was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1962. He is the author or co-author of nearly twenty books—novels, short stories, a memoir, and collections of poetry. His work has appeared widely in literary journals, including The Caribbean Review, Kenyon Review, Mississippi Review, New England Review, Ohio Review, Ploughshares, Southern Review, TriQuarterly, and many others. The Fall/Winter 2001-2002 issue of VPR also includes a Virgil Suarez interview conducted by Ryan G. Van Cleave.

Tuesday of each week “One Poet’s Notes” highlights an exceptional work by a poet selected from the archives of Valparaiso Poetry Review with the recommendation that readers revisit it. Please check the sidebar to view the list of poets and works that have been past “Poem of the Week” selections. Additionally, readers are reminded that VPR pages are best read with the browser font preference in which they were set, 12 pt. Times New Roman, in order to guarantee the stanza alignment and the breaks of longer lines are preserved.