Compost: Kinetic Poetry

In 1966, Uruguayan poet Amanda Berenguer invented her own poetic language, combining boundless imagination with almost scientific rigor. Through her theory of “kinetic poetry,” she explored the infinite possibilities of language, treating words not only as vehicles of meaning but also as movement, rhythm, and sensory experience.

Her theory comes to life in Composición de lugar, a collection of poems devoted to sunsets. Yet beneath these seemingly innocent descriptions lies another story: that of Uruguay’s gradual descent into dictatorship. The passage from light to darkness becomes a political metaphor, conveyed through cryptic, sometimes almost indecipherable writing. What can poetry express when words can no longer speak openly?