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।

Snowman

The snowman would faint
in our heat,
from his head to his
non-existent feet.
We'd rub his snowmelt
all over us,
and run, joyful,
in the wind.

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Gymniad XVIII - I Have Had Dreams

I have had dreams about being
more naked than I already am.
It seems to be a desideratum,
yet fully out of reach.
I love nature too much
to be a shaver of pubes,
and were I to slough off
this body before its time,
like the skin of a snake,
I'd leave too much undone
for the honesty that I seek.