By Elisa C. Martínez Salazar
La sal
Toda la sal del mar cayó en mi ciudad.
Cubrió puertas
ventanas
huellas.
Deshizo mis caminos. Desnudó tus manos. Nos secó los labios.
Anudó tristezas a mi vientre
(vientre triste
sin olas
ni corriente
ni horizonte).
Me desdibujó n(h)ombres
horas
lenguas.
¿Qué es la sal? ¿Qué es la sangre? ¿Qué es este rumor de noche
con sabor a desierto
cuerpos que acechan
pluma herida?
El mar es piel desnuda con herida abierta que late en medio de la noche.
Elisa C. Martínez Salazar (Santo Domingo, 1989). She is the author of the poetry books Desvelo, silencios y recuerdos (2 nd ed., Editora Poetas de la Era, 2020) and Leitmotivs (Santa Rabia Poetry, 2024). Her short stories and poems have been featured in magazines and anthologies across various countries. In 2017, her short story “Vera” was nominated for the Best of the Net Awards. Her work explores themes of identity, insularity, the metaphysical, and the oneiric, incorporating elements of magical realism, sensuality, love, loss, and longing. She has a musical project (Elisa Carolina MS) blending rap fusion and philosophical dembow—a playful sonic experiment using the popular rhythm as a space for introspection through urban capsules of positivity that invite reflection. She wrote and directed the short films El Río (2019) and Zareska (2021), which have been official selections at multiple international film festivals. Zareska won the Long Story Short category at the I Saria Festival de Filme in 2023.
She holds an MSc in Social Justice and Community Action from the University of Edinburgh. Alongside her artistic work, she works in human rights, labor justice, and combating human trafficking.
Web: www.elisacarolinams.com // IG: @elisacarolinams