“Sculpture Under A Bridge” by Debbie Hall
Buenos Aires, at a memorial for the “disappeared”
during the military dictatorship, 1976-1983
Each figure climbs atop the other
up from the dust and dark.
They reach through cracks in the road
to pull travelers out of their cars.
Here a muscled figure pulls a ghost
from an earthen grave.
Wooden boards form the outline
of a reclining human, five meters long.
No weeds grow in this small plot.
The soil sprouts small signs:
Eva Esther Nunez, someone’s daughter.
Luis Angel Veron, someone’s son.
Rosa Dalia Herrera, someone’s mother.
The travelers stand still, feeling
the voices of the Abuelas resound.
The signs shudder in a sudden breeze.
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Debbie Hall Artist Statement:
Debbie Hall is a psychologist and writer whose work has
appeared in San Diego Poetry Annual 2015-2016, City Works Literary Journal, San
Diego Writers, Ink Anthology volumes 5 and 8, Servinghouse Journal and Swamp Lily
Review. Her essays have appeared on NPR (This I Believe series), in USD Magazine, The
San Diego Psychologist, and the San Diego Union Tribune. She is currently enrolled in
Pacific University’s MFA program in writing.
