Gymniad XXI (with translations)

We are light
and shadow,
form and mystery,
in a setting
of time and space.
Beyond that frame,
beyond our name,
we simply are,
and we are one
and many.
We are life,
and life
must be free.

Somos luz
y sombra
forma y misterio,
en un entorno
de tiempo y espacio
Más allá de ese marco,
más allá de nuestro nombre,
simplemente somos,
y somos uno
y muchos
Somos vida,
y vida
tiene que ser libre.


हम प्रकाश हैं
और छाया,
रूप और रहस्य,
एक सेटिंग में
समय और स्थान का
उस फ्रेम से परे,
हमारे नाम से परे,
हम बस हैं,
और हम एक हैं
और बहुत।
हम जीवन हैं,
और जीवन
मुक्त होना चाहिए

Walking with Betty

Walking with Betty
on the beach,
I peer intently
at shells and rocks.
They are like
eidetic memories
from childhood.
The child does not
know what to edit out,
because it is all
potentially important.

A man asks what I
am looking for.
"Nothing," I tell him
(but my first inclination
is to say, "la vida"),
"but one never knows."
We talk some more.
Detecting my accent,
he asks me
where I am from.
It's a tale too long
to tell,
but I tell him
the obvious part.

The dog and I move on,
and I remain lost
in my thoughts.
I am like the child
who cannot edit out,
because it is all
potentially important,
it is all part
of this new life.

Aguas Dulces in Early Morning Light

Beach mist softens
morning light,
mellowing  and
enriching colors.
The low angle
brings out
the magic,
creating a golden,
waking dream.

Gymniad XX

Today was a day of jellyfish,
as others are of clams,
or sea snails,
or sand dollars.
The ocean has its seasons,
and its  reasons.
I follow Betty,
bare-armed,
in loose-fitting overalls,
with nothing underneath.
Like Betty,
who is naked
as all dogs,
and like
the implacable ocean,
I have
my reasons.

Guitars

What do you do
with a guitar
that someone has
sat on
or bashed out
the top
in fury?
What do you do
with a guitar
that you found
in a trash can?
Assuming that
you have the tools,
it depends on
how you feel
about guitars.

Something similar
should be true
of people.

Gymniad XIX - Ritual

I record the process
of aging
before washing,
combing,
or dressing,
satisfied that
vulnerabilities
and insecurities
will be revealed,
and that there is beauty
in truth.

I Have No Color

I have no color,
I have no race.
I have no home
in time or space.
Many disguises
have I worn,
a language spoken,
a place where born.
But I am that
behind all these,
behind the forms
of earth and trees.
I have no name
nor shame,
and I can only be
free.

--Nagna Devidas (Donald Traxler)


मेरे पास कोई रंग नहीं है,
मेरे पास कोई जाति नहीं है
मेरे पास कोई घर नहीं है
समय या अंतरिक्ष में
कई प्रच्छन्न
क्या मैंने पहना है,
बोली जाने वाली भाषा,
एक जन्मस्थान
लेकिन मैं ये हूं
इन सब के पीछे,
रूपों के पीछे
पृथ्वी और पेड़ों की
मेरे पास कोई नाम नहीं है
न ही लज्जा,
और मैं केवल हो सकता है
स्वतंत्र।