I am in love with water in all its forms. Entering the water is a form of prayer for me.
My name is Elena Pinnen, and I was born in Rome, Italy.
I am finalizing my PhD in Literature and Science from the University of Cambridge and work as an instructor in Italian literature and language.
At the moment, I live between Italy and the United States. I move quite often.
As a surf lover, I have recently published a book of poems about waves and surfing with The Los Angeles Press.
It's called "On a Breaking Wave."
The book was inspired by a relationship with someone whose first language is English. So, for me, English was my mother tongue at that time; it was the only language possible.
Also, I am fascinated by the expressive possibilities of a language that is not my own.
"Life is in the mouth. Death is in the mouth," says a Hawaiian proverb I quote in the book.
I often address the issue of colonialism because it is extremely linked to that of surfing. I already knew this story, but while writing the book, I continued to research the subject.
It is heartbreaking to note how what we see today as a sport, centuries ago, was simply the way of life - and of joy - for entire populations.
Entire populations were then forced to convert to Catholicism and to work in the fields out of the blue, forever out of the water.
Poetry Is a Violent Activity
Usually, I get an idea for a poem all of a sudden. I write it on my phone and then email it, but "On a Breaking Wave" was different.
I wrote it in three days, all in one breath, as if it were a short story or a long phone conversation, as I write in a poem.
I followed a common thread, a bit like when you want to create a concept album in music.
As I said, I wrote the book in a handful of days.
It came out of me quite violently. The challenges were the engine of writing. I would add, the engine of any movement.
For some obscure reason, which I still don't quite understand, my life is closely tied to California.
The book was born from a breakup with a person who lives in Los Angeles.
Almost by chance, I had the opportunity to have a video call with Linda Ravenswood, founding editor-in-chief of The Los Angeles Press, a few months ago.
I read my poems to her, and she understood me deeply and immediately.
More than hobbies, I have passions. Something that makes life worth living for me. Water and poetry are definitely two passions of this kind.
I've been writing poetry forever. I think writing poetry makes up for my inability to speak most of the time.
There are things I could only say in poetic form. I mean, the things that matter - the most important.
Everything else is just social conversation for me. Maybe I'm a little extreme.
In the water, all patterns are canceled, many spatial coordinates are lost, and you encounter another specific weight.
In short, you enter another world. A world that is very often silent and very energetic.
"On a Breaking Wave" (The Los Angeles Press, 2024) | Poetry Excerpts
There is no difference between blue
and green waves
when you lose your sight.
It's just a rush forward
and back.
Pieces of wood and branches.
I hope your arms
will embrace my words.
* * *
Non c’è differenza tra onde
blu e onde verdi
quando perdi la vista.
E’ solo uno sbattere avanti
e indietro.
Pezzi di legno e rami.
Sperando che la voce venga presa
tra le tue braccia.
Maybe inside the tubes
something still rumbles, looking for you...
Transhumance moves the scattered nods,
the missed greetings,
the promises of sailors.
Aloha
* * *
Chissà se dentro i tubi
rimbomba ancora
qualcosa, in cerca di te...
La transumanza sposta
i cenni dispersi,
i saluti mancati.
E le promesse dei marinai.
Aloha
I learned to swim
reading a user manual.
It’s like learning rhetoric
or some martial art.
I ride
either you or the sea,
depending on the favorable wind.
* * *
Ho imparato a nuotare
leggendo un manuale di istruzioni.
Come si impara la retorica
o qualche arte marziale.
Cavalco te o il mare
a seconda del vento favorevole.
To keep clinging to the waves: this is happiness.
There are those who claim that
'an inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness'
as in the US Declaration of Independence
is a fruit of Polynesia.
* * *
Rimanere avvinghiati alle onde:
è questa la felicità
C e chi addirittura sostiene che
‘il diritto inalienabile alla ricerca della felicità’
nella Dichiarazione d'indipendenza americana
sia un frutto della Polinesia.
Words by Elena Pinnen | Surfer, Poet, and Italian Literature and Language Instructor
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