vámonos de aquí
dejemos atrás la tierra firme
echémonos al mar
nuestra cuna, casa, ataúd
y avancemos hacia el horizonte
con brazadas fuertes
no temamos baby
al sol, a la luna
a los espacios líquidos
desconocidos
vámonos de aquí
te ruego
conozco islas
que desde aquí no se ven
conozco los dragones
a la orilla del mundo
no despidámonos más
excepto de la tierra
donde nos raspa el aire y
nos atrapa la gravedad
Poetry
I’m Lying in my Hammock When I Hear the Phone
(poem #2 in a series in progress)
I’m lying in my hammock when
I hear the phone
make a cricket sound
it’s you
you found me
you want to be my friend
I’m lying in my hammock when
I hear the phone
make a cricket sound
it’s you
saying hola
and I answer
because I always do
because your hair is curly and
your eyes are blue and
I am lying in my hammock
with the cats
you tell me things that
are the answers to
questions I haven’t asked
I’m lying in my hammock when
I hear the phone
make a cricket sound
it’s you
you ask me questions that
have long answers so I
summarize
you say you like me
I tell you
you don’t know me
I say it because I’m scared
because I do know me, and
there are crickets in my phone
at night I dream of cats
you have only imagined me
you have no idea
Follow Me
follow me
to the brackish places
where warm muck mixes
with ocean salt and
last week’s rain
this is where land crabs
make their burrows
little fish hatch between
rotting twigs and
baby crocodiles wait,
their eyes floating like
bubbles at the surface,
for the return of their
hunting mothers
Sígueme
sígueme
a los lugares salobres
donde el lodo caliente se mezcla
con la sal del mar y
lluvias de la semana pasada
aquí es donde los cangrejos
hacen sus hoyos
pecesitos nacen entre
ramas podridas y
cocodrilos infantes esperan,
sus ojos flotando como
burbujas en la superficie,
sus madres que andan
de caza
Poems with Safe Places
let there be poems
with safe places
poems with doors that close
with cats on the bed
shade tress and
sunday mornings when
no one is
outside
let there be poems with
pillows
curtains
clocks that move slowly
and rain clouds to
cover the
blinding sky
Poemas con Lugares Seguros
que existan poemas
con lugares seguros
poemas con puertas que se cierran
con gatos en la cama
con arboles que den sombra y
las mañanas de domingo cuando
no hay nadie
afuera
que existan poemas con
almohadas
cortinas
relojes que caminan lentamente
y nubes de lluvia
para cubrir
el cielo cegador
Obedient to the Moon / Obediente a la Luna
watch the horizon
move toward it when
arching water beckons
expect the unexpected
expect to have to try
rain falls on the jungle
even when you are sleeping
even after you die
then slides through roots
to the ocean
watch water
study how it pushes through air
fierce and gentle
all of this
obedient to the moon
Obediente a la Luna
mira el horizonte
acércate a él cuando
el agua se arquea, llamando
espera lo inesperado
espera deber intentar
la lluvia cae sobre la jungla
aun cuando duermes
aun después de que mueras
luego se desliza a través de raíces
hacia mar
observa el agua
estudia cómo empuja contra el aire
feroz y delicado
todo esto
obediente a la luna
Not Even a Flower
i would like to write something
so beautiful
it tears your heart out
but what is that thing?
i would like to write something
to make you fall in love with me
but i haven’t yet learned
the right language
i would like to
climb a tree and
cry until morning
between the stars
to explode open
into a red and purple bloom
all the colibris would kiss me
but i am not even a flower
this pen in my hand is
so small and thin
Ni Siquiera Una Flor
me gustaría escribir algo
tan hermoso
te arranque el corazón
pero cuál sería esa cosa
me gustaría escribir algo
que te haga enamorarte de mi
pero todavía no he aprendido
el idioma justo
me gustaría
subir un árbol y
llorar hasta la mañana
entre las estrellas
explotar como
un brote que abre en
una flor roja y morada
todos los colibrís me besarían
pero no soy ni siquiera una flor
esta pluma en mi mano es
tan diminuto y delgado
Out of the Ocean
the life force is
stronger than death
it will drag you
out of the ocean
onto the sand
while you are sleeping
it will breathe its
salty breath in you
until you
wake up hungry
Afterlife
the world has ended
this is the afterlife
birds here
and people
speak so many languages
the silence that
sits above
this thin layer of air
is infinite and
louder than wind
i expected angels
in the afterlife
cherubim
saraphim
or, if i’ve been wrong
lakes of fire
but no
the winged things here are
dragonflies
hummingbirds
parakeets
moths
and lakes lie like
broken pieces of sky
A Place I Can Have Horses
at night i dream of us
of you
of the vast sunny plain
that lies between
your shoulders
i build my house
in the valley there
it is a place I can
have horses and
plant a garden in the
rich fertile soil
Unexpectedly Iridescent / Inesperadamente Iridescente
i am free
to inhabit all of my skin
to pulse this blood into
every capillary
i own
you are free
to see me in
whichever color you choose
call me an angel
a liar
a lion
a stone
like a blue morph, i
am at home among orchids and ferns
invisible at rest
unexpectedly iridescent in motion
soy libre
de habitar toda mi piel
de pulsar esta sangre hacia
cada capilar que
me pertenece
tu eres libre
de verme de
cualquier color que elijas
llámame ángel
mentirosa
leona
piedra
como un morfo azul, mi
lugar es entre orquídeas y helechos
soy invisible en reposo
inesperadamente iridiscente en movimiento
Last Word
you can have the
last word
I don’t want it
let’s let your
final accusations
hang there in the air
like mirrors
I will bare my teeth
in a smile
Stop
this poem wants to say
enough is enough
but it doesn’t
know the language
it only knows wind
and the dust it carries
that settles everywhere
and is there
in the morning
it wants to say
no more
but it can only
shuffle leaves and
throw little sticks to the ground
this poem takes a breath
turns around and
doesn’t say anything