Dizzy In Your Eyes (Mora)

Mora, Pat. Dizzy In Your Eyes: Poems About Love. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. ISBN 9780375843754

PLOT SUMMARY

Dizzy In Your Eyes is a collection of poems by Pat Mora that explore the intricacies of love. A teenager’s love for self, family, pets, and especially a romantic other are explored through 50 poems. Various poetic forms, both familiar (e.g. haiku and free verse) and unfamiliar (e.g. vinanelle), are explored in Mora’s Spanish infused collection.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Love is a universal theme that is very familiar with poetry. Mora has used poetry to explore the meaning of love in its vast variety of forms. Poems cover mundane topics, such as weekend plans, to very special memories, like the first time successfully asking a girl out. 

Mora shows her strength when she uses poetry to tell stories, breaking free of some of the more rigid poetic forms. These poems evoke rich and authentic emotions. The pure essence of secret joy is expressed in “Back Then” when Mora writes “I’d feel like I’d swallowed a slice of sun.” Once again, in “Kissing” Mora perfectly captures the moment. In a tense scene at home after a father catches his daughter kissing a boy Mora writes, “Dad and I tangled in silence.” 

The theme and format of the collection is universal to all cultures, although many of its poems speak directly to Hispanic culture. For example, “Mariachi Fantasy” references the passionate musical groups traditional to Mexico as it creates a playful image of a cactus “letting all his inside feelings rip”.  The poem “Spanish” looks into one teen’s love for their native language and loss when they are unable to hear and speak it. This poem will feel familiar to many individuals who have been in the lingual minority, and even more so for those whose primary language is Spanish. The idea of language providing “comfort, una frazdo” will be impactful for those who can fully embrace Mora’s use of metaphor. 

Spanish is utilized throughout the collection in a variety of poems, with one poem, “Ode to Teachers” being presented in both Spanish and English. In the touching poem, “Valentine to Papi” Spanish is only used as a tribute to the fact a girl never grows out of love with her father, her “Papi.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus Reviews: “The poet's voice is multifaceted: tender, humorous and joyful but also profound”

School Library Journal: “a glimpse into the last remaining innocence of the teen years”

CONNECTIONS

Read more poetry by Pat Mora.

Mora, Pat. This Big Sky. ISBN 0590371207

Mora, Pat. Yum! Mmmm! Qué Rico!, Americas' Sproutings. ISBN 9781584302711

Mora, Pat. Confetti: Poems for Children. ISBN 9781880000854

Mora, Pat. Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers. ISBN 9781584302353

Mora, Pat. My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults. ISBN 9781558852921

Read another poetry book that explores a variety of poetic forms.

Janeczko, Paul B., ed. A Kick in the Head, An Everyday Guide to Poetic Form. ISBN 978-0763641320

Read other poems for teenagers told from the viewpoint of teenagers.

Franco, Besty. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. ISBN 9780763648398

Marcus, Kimberly. Exposed. ISBN 978-0375866937

Ochoa, Annette Pina, Betsy Franco, and Traci L. Gourdine, eds. Night is Gone, Day is Coming: Stories and Poems by American Indian Teens and Young Adults. ISBN 0763615188

Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending, What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. ISBN 0064462188