I AM HERE - II

As a young, idealistic man
I taught an undocumented
dock-worker to read his
own language, and a Venezuelan
family to speak English.
I shared my language with
wonderful Catalán teenagers.

But I am not here
to teach, though it may happen,
but rather to learn,
to absorb this culture,
keeping the good and
rejecting the harmful,
as I did in the "old
country." I am here
to live, to share,
and to flourish.

29 Nov. 2016

I AM HERE

I am here, and I don't think
of being anywhere else.
I've long forgotten the feel of foreign
coins, and customs that were always
foreign to me are more so now.

When I walk my dog in the
fresh evening air, I know
the sights and smells as she
does, though not as intensely,
and the trees and dogs greet us both.

If you ask shall I stay or go,
I'll reply as did Georgia O.*,
with peace in her eyes and on her face:
"Is there another place?"

27 Nov. 2016

* The US artist Georgia O'Keefe, when asked
in the desert of New Mexico whether she
ever thought of living somewhere else,
famously replied with the words of the last
line of the poem.

QUATRAINS DE NOSSA SENHORA

XCVII.
Quando el hemisferio norte
se transforma en ataúd,
entón evita-se la morte
shendo pra o sud.

When the Northern Hemisphere
becomes a coffin,
then death is avoided
by going to the south.

26 de novembro 2016

The Iceplant

Two years old.
As I stared,
fascinated, at
the iceplant flowers,
Mom pulled on
the leash of
the harness I wore.
She didn't want
me to be stung by
the bees, who were
also fascinated.

Five years old.
As I played
with iceplant leaves,
crushing them to
extract the juice,
I saw in my mind
the image of an old
man in a skullcap,
strangely dressed,
working with
plant parts.

The iceplant, like
the lantana and
the star pine,
followed me
six thousand miles.
I have some very
old friends here.

11 Nov. 2016

Standing on the dock,
I catch a bow-line
and fasten it
securely.
The ship's an unlikely
one, broad and
high and short.
But I, at least,
have helped
to bring it
into port.

23 November 2016

MISSA PRO NOBIS - IV

Hoc est enim corpus meum,
vehiculum animae meae,
et templum Spiritus Sancti,
quod pro nobis
et pro tota
humanitate
in amore
offertur.

For this is my body,
the vehicle of my soul
and a temple of the
Holy Spirit,
which is offered
in love
for us
and for all
humankind.

Porque éste es mi cuerpo,
el vehículo de mi alma
y un templo del
Espíritu Santo,
que se ofrece
en amor
para nosotras y nosotros
y para toda
la humanidad.

22 Nov. 2016

QUATRAINS DE NOSSA SENHORA

XCVI
Excavá las camadas da pessoa
non é cosa pra todos.
É muito más fácil deishá
que se vea nu en corpo.

Excavating the layers
of the person is not for everyone.
To be seen physically naked
is far easier.

21 novembro 2016