Mixtos I - Marastán

A terra dos mortos é muito fascinante.
Non mi sorprendeva vedere velha amante,
ma l'arrivata d'una famosa con guardias armados
robó l'atención de todos os convidados.

The land of the dead is very fascinating.
It didn't surprise me to see an old lover,
but the arrival of a famous woman with armed guards
stole the attention of all the guests.

My Natural State

A suit and tie
would say that I
see eye to eye,

that I belong to you,
which isn't true.

I don't
and won't.

So I'll cultivate
my natural state,

I'll wear nothing
and speak
for myself.

6 April 2017

Trajectories

What keeps me awake
is not the stars,
it is the trajectories
of thoughts and visions
that range among them.

What keeps me young
is not what I do,
but what I know.

What keeps me here
is what is dear.

What keeps me there
is an ebb and a flow.

Every poem is a journey
from here to there.

6 April 2017

Clock and Compass

The sun is the only clock I need,
it's either there or it isn't.
I plan my days accordingly,
making use of what is,
not fretting
about what isn't.
The stars my compass,
I navigate toward
glories more remote
and unimaginable.

Nature's Ways

I will die here, no doubt,
but not until I've done
all the living I can,
not until I've sat in the sun
as I'm doing now,
been a regular fan
of Atlantic sunrises,
walked every inch
of this long sand beach,
learned every secret
that nature has
to teach.
I'll profitably spend
my latter days
relearning
nature's ways.

4 April 2017

April 2 2017

I sit in the light
of an anemic sun,
the wind blows blustery
from my right,
the north.
I have less base tan
than I should,
and it's the fault
of a fourteenth-
century poetess
who was too good.
Now I lament
the departure
of the sun,
desperate for its
rays, but I
shouldn't, because
sitting here by
the ocean,
I have everything
else.

The Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the
new hemisphere, or it is
the one being explored anew.
Western myths are
based on the North,
but here the stars
point to a brighter future,
where Orion stands
on his head.

1 April 2017