CLARA SALAS

 

 

Scar Of Shadows

 

My soul aches—

a shattered mirror still reflecting your name.

Your treacherous shadow

follows just behind me, step for step,

in rhythms I cannot forget.

 

You were fire in the cold hours before dawn,

a vow made of smoke,

a promise that dissolved in my hands

like sand that never meant to stay.

 

Your voice—

a serpent dressed in tenderness—

whispered forever

while honing silence behind my back.

 

Now I carry your memory

like a dead bird in my chest,

heavy,

dimming every beat of my heart.

 

The sky weeps with me;

clouds bleed into endless gray,

and even the wind—accomplice of the past—

returns your laughter

sharpened into a blade.

 

Still, though your absence fractures me,

though your betrayal burns like salt in an open wound,

I promise this:

from my ruins, a new world will rise.

 

And you—

a distant echo—

will vanish within it,

like a sigh with no one left to claim it.

 

The Blue Smoke Of Sorrow

 

Sorrow comes slowly,

like blue smoke slipping through the soul’s narrow seams.

It does not knock,

does not raise its voice—

it simply sits beside me

and meets my gaze with tired eyes.

 

It is a rain that never wets,

yet chills;

a whisper without words,

yet heavy.

 

It settles on my shoulders

like a coat I forgot to remove,

matching my steps

with a silence that aches.

 

At times,

it feels like an old friend returning unannounced—

sitting across from me,

hand outstretched,

asking me to remember what I tried to forget.

 

At others,

it is only a shadow,

a haze that blurs my days

and drains the color from my voice.

 

Yet even in its grayness,

it offers something:

I can be fragile without breaking,

I can weep without losing myself,

and night—no matter how long—

always yields to dawn.

 

Sorrow, silent companion,

I know you.

I name you.

And still,

I know that one day

you will become wind again.

CLARA SALAS

 

CLARA SALAS is a Peruvian writer, poet, performer, reading advocate, cultural ambassador, and Ambassador for Peace. She holds a degree in Education and a Master’s degree in University Management. She has developed a distinguished career as an educator, storyteller, and workshop facilitator in the field of literature. Her work has earned national and international recognition for her commitment to literature, culture, education, and the arts. Dedicated to the written and spoken word as a bridge between cultures, she promotes and organizes international gatherings that bring together artists from around the world. Her body of work and professional trajectory represent a valuable cultural legacy for future generations.