ElenaCardona

Cardona’s only publication to date is a collection of poems called Meta tlaqt lil Adam (“When I left Adam”, Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2022). She acknowledges the impact of several renowned local poets on her poetic journey. Maria Grech Ganado stands out for her exploration of feminism and womanhood but Cardona also finds inspiration in the poetry of Adrian Grima, Immanuel Mifsud and Norbert Bugeja.

Possibly, the poets mentioned above resonate with Cardona because their work also delves into social justice, civil rights, postcolonialism and Mediterranean culture. In 2014, a boat carrying illegal immigrants capsized near the island of Lampedusa, claiming the lives of hundreds. This news deeply affected Cardona, compelling her to write about it. She wanted to preserve the memory of those lost souls whose tragedy, she knew, would be overshadowed by subsequent news, and gradually forgotten. Cardona perceives a loss of humanity in our society, consumed as it is by opportunism and materialistic pursuits. She laments our passive observation of unfolding crises, yearning instead to be someone who engages with and responds to her environment, liberated from the constraining assumptions of society.

One finds many of these concerns in Meta tlaqt lil Adam. "Adam" is a clear allusion to the Biblical figure who succumbed to temptation and stands for the political, social and symbolic structures that, despite their faults, impose expectations and demand compliance. By declaring that she has left Adam, Cardona asserts her readiness and right to defy conformity, particularly to ideals that restrict her freedom to embrace her true self, flaws and all. In so doing, she also redefines Eve, traditionally portrayed as the instigator of humanity’s fall in the biblical narrative. Unlike the Eve of myth, who carries a burden of guilt and duty, Cardona’s Eve seeks to be liberated from these prescribed constraints. She strives to be her own person, neither defined by nor subservient to any man or woman. The concluding poem of the collection, which lends its title to the book, ends with a declaration of Cardona’s newfound freedom from the judgement of external value systems.

However, Cardona recognises that one cannot detach from everything and everyone as the self is ultimately shaped by the totality of one’s experiences. For instance, in "Xufftejk" (“Your lips”), a poignant poem about her grandmother, Cardona acknowledges the impact of this relationship and values it as something to cherish. The key lies in discernment, knowing which relationships contribute to self-discovery and growth and which ones are detrimental, as illustrated in "Una noche" (“A night”), where a lover abruptly leaves, an experience that led to the protagonist redefining herself in a new light.

Cardona is an emerging writer, yet she appears to have bypassed several stages on her journey to literary maturity. Her singular collection stands proudly alongside those of more established writers.