Christian Garduno’s poetry is deeply lyrical, evocative, and rooted in personal and cultural memory. Drawing on his Mexican-American heritage, life along the South Texas coast, and formative experiences in California, his work often blends regional texture with universal emotional themes. His poems explore identity, love, loss, and resilience—interweaving vivid imagery with musical phrasing that reflects his early fascination with The Beatles and lyricism. Garduno’s background in history from UC Berkeley also adds layers of social consciousness and historical awareness to his writing, making his verses both intimate and expansive.
One of his most acclaimed poems, “Southern Horses,” which won the 2019 Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry, showcases his ability to create atmospheric landscapes that carry emotional weight and narrative subtlety. His language is precise yet rich with feeling, often touching on nostalgia, struggle, and hope. Garduno’s chapbooks like Fog & Bone and Love Above the Armstrong Limit further highlight his range—from minimalism to surrealism—while remaining accessible and human at the core. Whether writing about family, migration, or fleeting beauty, his poetry invites readers to pause, reflect, and connect. It’s no surprise his work appears in over 100 literary journals—his voice is distinct, compassionate, and enduring.
Far East Flea Market
You catch my eyesand that’s how symphonies are born
I could have gone my whole life without seeing your freckles
but that wouldn’t have been living at all
you’re so beautiful that I go to shambles
I see you’ve changed your signature
she’s more of a controlled burn
I shower to the playlist you sent me
I said it once but I thought it one thousand times
your mind is such predictive text
and your dreams AI in the morning
I swear you wrote me once
I still have it
I keep it closer than anything in this damn world
your hologram landed on me like a feather
couldn’t have been better
I love watching you swirl
maybe that’s why
maybe that’s why I love you
and all your tulips turn to stone
and cut my heart right to the bone
