"Casa Banana" ("Banana House"), a collection of poems inspired by the poet"s travels in Mexico, Italy, and Cuba, reads at first glance more like a recipe book. The title of each poem is the name of a dish, among them "Peppersauce", "Mermelada de Papaya" (Papaya Jam), or simply "Ali?????o" (Salad Dressing). But instead of detailing the food she is eating, Silvia describes where she eats it, the people around her, and the flavours of the food. Most of all she evokes the memories these flavours recall. Rodr????­guez Gonz?????lez explains: "Food is an essential part of life, and eating accompanies most of our experiences. To me the sense of taste is very important; I always associate a taste with a memory." Travel and food are constant references for Silvia. Her first book, "Rojo Caramelo" ("Red Caramel"), contains a poem that was inspired by a dessert of the same name. Her second, "El Ojo de Londres" (The London Eye), describes her experiences as a foreigner living in London. Does she see "Casa Banana" as her best work so far?

Silvia chooses her words carefully. "I believe in evolution. I think a person grows as a writer through the artistic journey she makes. So for me, my last book isn"t necessarily the best, it"s a consequence of the former ones." Indeed, "Casa Banana" has evolved since the poet started working on it, over a year ago. Originally conceived as an exploration of society and the spirit through the pop culture of food, under the working title "Men????? del D????­a", it steadily developed into a more intimate version of the initial intention. The book is arranged in two parts. The first, "Casa Banana", concentrates on the poet"s experiences in Mexico in 2005, and is dedicated "to my travelling companions". The second, "Collecci??n Privada" ("Private Collection") explores more personal and varied themes. Silvia says: "I wanted a book with two different concepts: in the first part I wanted to write about the feelings travel arouses in me, to take my inner emotions and exteriorise them. In the second half I wanted to explore my inner self from the outside."

And the title? "Casa Banana" is the name of a typical Mexican bar that the poet and her travelling companions visited. But more than this, the notion of a house resonates with Silvia"s vision of her art. She explains: "A house is somewhere you can enter and leave when you need to. It has different rooms that you can explore. There are always undiscovered corners to it. Finally, it can be a refuge. Poetry also involves these concepts." Silvia"s travels are a form of refuge from the machinations of modern life and the grind of the daily routine. Her poems capture the struggle between each individual"s human spirit against the "one-size-fits-all" approach society uses to categorise people. Her favourite poem, "Cangrejo con Coco" ("Coconut Crab"), reminds her of a moment during her travels when she was faced with Nature in all its glory. She says: "When I saw the eight pelicans described in the poem, the intensity and beauty around me aroused lots of sensations in me, and made me reflect on the essence of Nature. I regained in some ways a purity of human spirit that becomes tarnished by a society that forces us to fit a certain mould."

The poet"s embracing of all things natural has resulted in sensual, vital, almost tangible poetry. Her work is also very intimate. Does Rodr????­guez Gonz?????lez ever draw the line as to how much of herself she exposes to her public? Silvia answers: "To some extent you have to get rid of boundaries when you write poetry. Having said that, my work doesn"t always have close parallels with my own life. I take inspiration from my own experiences, but I only add drops of them to my poetry." Always reticent in defining the meaning of her poems, Rodr????­guez Gonz?????lez is adamant that each person interprets art differently, and believes that even the poet cannot know all the subconscious messages her writing conveys to each reader. Poetry remains Silvia"s passion since the age of 15, despite her having written short stories for various collective works, and contributing regularly to Spanish lifestyle magazines. She says: "Poetry is an intense form of expression. With prose, the intensity is more gradual, it has to be developed in the plot over time. Poetry is more immediate, like a photo or a telegram. It reflects your feelings about love, sex, friendship, art or world issues at a given moment."

So does Silvia dream of dedicating herself to poetry on a full-time basis?

"Ha!" she laughs, "Nowadays I think it"s a pipe dream to make your living solely from writing, especially if you live in the Canary Islands. In any case, I like to have lots of outlets for my creativity, I don"t like to have only one string to my bow." The future looks successful for the 36 year old. A collection of poems inspired from her travels in India in 2004 is to be published before the end of this year. As for her fifth book, she has already started working on some texts that she hopes to publish, but she warns, "poetry answers to its own rhythm, so it will only be ready when it"s ready." While they are waiting, enthusiasts of food and travel should get their hands on a copy of "Casa Banana". Available to borrow from the Gabinete Literario in Las Palmas, it will awaken all five senses and leave the reader hungry for more.