Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Alberto Vélez

MEMORY

Back then, young girls were the world.
Breasts had names. As did mouths.
Sometimes the dream burst in our hands
And our groins swelled in thick liquor,
A gift from the gods.
Mornings and nights of the flesh,
Bodies falling through the end of time.

Long was the sleeplessness.
Tireless blood flowed to our members
And we lacked air for a desire that ceased not and asked no truce.

And we, the boys of those days,
Boast of the battles we’ve lost.

Memoria

Memoria

El mundo entonces eran las muchachas.
Los senos tenían nombres. Y las bocas.
A veces, el sueño estallaba en nuestras manos
Y las ingles se inflamaban de un licor espeso,
Regalo de los dioses.
Mañanas y noches de la carne,
Cuerpos cayendo por el fin del tiempo.

Fueron largos los insomnios.
Sin descanso, la sangre fluyó hasta nuestros miembros
Y faltó el aire para un deseo que no cesó ni esperó tregua.

Y los muchachos de entonces
Alardeamos de las batallas que perdimos.
Close

MEMORY

Back then, young girls were the world.
Breasts had names. As did mouths.
Sometimes the dream burst in our hands
And our groins swelled in thick liquor,
A gift from the gods.
Mornings and nights of the flesh,
Bodies falling through the end of time.

Long was the sleeplessness.
Tireless blood flowed to our members
And we lacked air for a desire that ceased not and asked no truce.

And we, the boys of those days,
Boast of the battles we’ve lost.

MEMORY

Back then, young girls were the world.
Breasts had names. As did mouths.
Sometimes the dream burst in our hands
And our groins swelled in thick liquor,
A gift from the gods.
Mornings and nights of the flesh,
Bodies falling through the end of time.

Long was the sleeplessness.
Tireless blood flowed to our members
And we lacked air for a desire that ceased not and asked no truce.

And we, the boys of those days,
Boast of the battles we’ve lost.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
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