29 The Wave of My Life

La ola de mi vida

Santo Domingo |

Dominican Republic

Spanish

Behind the scenes

This text was born from a reflection on what drives some of us to keep moving toward new horizons, to take on challenges and seek adventure, even when it becomes difficult and demanding.

The image of the wave and its rolling motion came naturally: the movement gives the impression of advancing or retreating, yet it never truly stops.
The text follows four moments. First, the stubborn present: sigo la ola – I follow the wave despite fatigue and pain. Then comes the moment of triumph: land finally appears on the horizon.

But when victory arrives, another reality emerges: calm, sometimes tinged with boredom, where the narrative shifts into the past – seguí, “I followed.”

Then the wave returns: past and present merge, and the adventurer sets off again.

The inspiration took root in Santo Domingo, on the edge of the Caribbean Sea, a place shaped by maritime history and departures into the unknown.

Echoes of the world

The text draws heavily on the sounds and rhythms of Spanish. Words echo one another like the motion of a wave: parar, avisar, vacilar, creating a cadence close to the rolling of the sea.

The verb seguir (“to follow,” but also “to continue”) structures the entire poem. At first, the present tense dominates: sigo – “I follow.” Later appears seguí, in the past tense: the action seems complete.

But the final line brings both tenses together in a single sentence:
“Seguí la ola, y ahora sigo siguiéndola.” – “I followed the wave, and now I keep following it.”
As if the quest never truly ends.

In Spanish, sentence structure also allows for flexible word order – sigo la ola / la sigo – which further reinforces this sense of movement.

Listen to an audio excerpt of the text