Monica de la Torre is a Mexican poet who currently lives in Brooklyn. She is an extensive poet, so it's difficult to nail down themes that cross throughout her work.

In reading through many of de la Torre's work, however, the theme of identity is predominant in many of her poems. As a Mexican poet living in the United States, de la Torre is a bicultural writer and writes often about these two cultures and about culture and identity.

Her poem "Migrating Birds" is an excellent example of her themes of identity. This poem sounds like overheard clips of gossip. Each stanza is a short description of a person and their life. Though we as readers don't know these people, we can learn a lot from the way de la Torre writes about them. For example,

Victor gets a real sense of power

from making his own raisins.

This tells us a lot about Victor. We know he makes raisins, but we also know he finds power in making raisins. What does that mean? Is he powerless in other areas of his life? She leaves a lot up to our interpretation based on our own experiences.

In "Poem in Spanish" Monica de la Torre explores her own identity. I love the third stanza, which begins with

Why don't I respond when I'm being offended?

Throughout the poem, she explores the way her identity has been shaped by religion, culture, death, and more.

These themes are relevant to a wide audience because everyone struggles with identity at some point in their lives. Her poetry is also important today as it addresses struggles faced by women and immigrants. In a diverse political climate, it's important to hear from marginalized voices and to support their work.