Book excerpt: Palabras de mediodia/Noon Words is Lucha CorpiÍs pioneering collection of poems that established her as a major figure in Mexican American literature. Written in Spanish and expertly translated by Catherine Rodriguez-Nieto, the poems fairly bloom off the page in a display of lyric virtuosity. Corpi is the first of the Mexican American poets to explore through deeply personal and intimate feelings potentially explosive political topics, transculturation, the role of women, her commitment to social change, and the grand themes of love and death. Highly sophisticated, enchanting, and well steeped in the literary tradition of Juana de Ibarbourou, Federico Garcia Lorca and Pablo Neruda, CorpiÍs poetry successfully portrays the magic of her childhood in tropical Veracruz, her move to the city and the challenges of modern life in San Luis Potosi and the San Francisco Bay Area. Particularly moving is CorpiÍs struggle to bridge the chasm between the obligations of family life and single parenthood and the career opportunities of the outside world.