POETIC DELIGHTS BY BERTHA GALAN-BOLIVIA(SOUTH AMERICA)
1-Between the Abyss and the Light
In the hidden mystery of sacred life
blooms a lily of endless questions.
Where do we come from? Where are we going?
Existence floats in a sea of enigmas.
Life is light and shadow, forest and sea,
calm and storm, a constant dance—
each step a leap into vast emptiness,
each moment a sigh to eternal time.
At dawn, golden dreams are tinted,
promises of a future yet unborn;
in twilight, memories are gathered—
fragments that still persist.
We are shooting stars in the universe,
brief sparks struggling to shine;
amidst the vastness of the infinite cosmos,
we seek meaning—we yearn to love.
Life tests us, breaks us, heals us,
it carries us on its river that never stops.
With every failure, we learn to be;
with every triumph, we feel reborn.
But existence is more than questions—
it is the sweet taste of a lived moment,
a shared laugh, a warm embrace,
the magic hidden in the unnoticed.
We are explorers of time and ether,
pilgrims of an unending mystery.
In every glance, in every whisper,
life reveals itself, touches us, kisses us.
Perhaps the purpose is not to understand it,
perhaps meaning doesn’t lie in knowing.
Maybe the secret is simply to feel it,
to live it fully—before fading away.
2-Blue Prayer
Oh water, sacred essence of life!
Crystal that holds the soul of the world—
your current once held mighty force,
but now it wanes, wounded, silent.
Droughts tear at the earth’s skin,
rivers vanish without a sound,
lakes collapse in exhaustion
as the world’s unquenchable thirst
devours your wisdom, your vital essence.
The fertile fields, green meadows—
treasures that feed our springs—
they lie in our hands, in our soul’s voice;
we must protect them, or lose them to shadows.
Awaken, new water, from your silent dream!
In your eyes still dances alabaster dawn.
We are earth, guardians of your breath—
voice and root of a prayer for life.
Every drop of you is a guarded gem,
every sacred source must be preserved.
Our tears embrace yours—
your return is our rejoicing rain!
Rivers revive, oceans awaken,
lakes are filled, the seas return.
Your blue waves flow once more,
and free life returns to its altar.
Oh water, fountain of divine existence,
the winds return, the birds, the flowers—
we lift our prayers to your sacred waters
so your essence may never be extinguished!
3-Alchemy and Path
Secret paths awaken the soul,
from horizons to the sea—
branches rise in the divine,
weaving threads of ebony and calm
toward the golden peace of the infinite.
Oh nature, wise and sacred!
Your lilies and trees pulse joyfully
under the crystalline melody of air,
where the self dwells in its chamber,
like an ethereal chant of the cosmos.
A newborn awakening of eternal fire,
a blue verse that nurtures hope—
with your radiance of gold and flame,
you ignite the sap of vitality
in every step of evolution.
Hope, you were born to forge the earth
amid veiled armor in the shadows.
You light the compass of the shrubs—
in bloom, green leaves, heartbeats,
and laurels that brush the soul in devotion.
With splendid arrows of lilies,
you challenge the thresholds of dusk,
letting the spirit rise in serenity,
letting the silent seeds
transfigure alchemy into golden wheat.
White flowers like morning dew,
vast forests like the sky,
and the senses dance like the wind—
and the wind, like an Orpheus in motion,
resists, never letting itself be extinguished.
Freedom, grove where all things bloom,
shaping life in human flowers—
you cradle odes and crowns along the path,
and with your magic among divine petals,
you turn the soul’s essence into glory.
AUTHOR:
BERTHA GALAN-BOLIVIA(SOUTH AMERICA)
Bertha Galán, a Bolivian writer and poet based in Santa Cruz, holds a degree in Communication and Languages, with further training in higher education teaching and educational management. Her literary work has been internationally awarded and appears in anthologies from Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia.
She is the author of Luces en el horizonte (2022) and will soon publish her poetry collection La Rosa de los Vientos. Bertha is also featured in the Dictionary of Bolivian Women Writers and represents Bolivia in various international literary festivals. Through both education and literature, she actively promotes critical reflection and cultural dialogue.
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