The Kingdom of Ordinary Time. What the Living
Do. The Good Thief. Son los tres títulos de sus libros de poemas,
que traduzco como El reino del tiempo corriente, Lo que hacen los vivos y El
buen ladrón, de más reciente a más antiguo. Su hermano John murió de SIDA y de
ahí salió lo que salió. Pero su mirada, la de la hermana, debía tener una
formación previa, por más que ella afirme que la vida y la muerte de él cambió
su estética completamente.
What the living do
Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil
probably fell down there.
And the Drano won’t work but smells dangerous, and the crusty dishes
have piled up
And the Drano won’t work but smells dangerous, and the crusty dishes
have piled up
waiting for the plumber I still haven’t called. This is the everyday we
spoke of.
It’s winter again: the sky’s a deep, headstrong blue, and the sunlight
pours through
spoke of.
It’s winter again: the sky’s a deep, headstrong blue, and the sunlight
pours through
the open living-room windows because the heat’s on too high in here
and I can’t turn it off.
For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in the street, the
bag breaking,
and I can’t turn it off.
For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in the street, the
bag breaking,
I’ve been thinking: This is what the living do. And yesterday, hurrying
along those
wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my coffee down my
wrist and sleeve,
along those
wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my coffee down my
wrist and sleeve,
I thought it again, and again later, when buying a hairbrush: This is it.
Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you called that
yearning.
Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you called that
yearning.
What you finally gave up. We want the spring to come and the winter to
pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss—we want more and more and
then more of it.
pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss—we want more and more and
then more of it.
But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the
window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a
cherishing so deep
window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a
cherishing so deep
for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m
speechless:
I am living. I remember you.
speechless:
I am living. I remember you.
Marie Howe
Aquí hay un análisis muy interesante, por si alguien quiere más.
Aquí hay un análisis muy interesante, por si alguien quiere más.
