Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Marcela Parra

Abundance

Sweets are the coins of children.
Those that are small and of little value
those that are useless for their parents, that inside their tiny pockets
are slices of abundance.

The story goes that there was a time
when the smallest coin bough something sweet
and with a few coins in you palm
you could enter the Kingdom of Full Pockets
which were delicious eternal vaults.

But now those are coins to buy nothing
without amassing a handful.
Children by themselves can no longer fill their pockets
and so they gather together to attain a bunch of coins
or those items they used to get for one cent.  

Some kids may march, others occupy a building
or set a trap to catch a tourist
in a blind alleyway. And if they don't
the boogie man eats them all.

Abundancia

Abundancia

Los dulces son las monedas de los niños.
Esas pequeñas y de poco valor
que a los padres no les sirven, y que en los bolsillos
de sus ropas diminutas, son rodajas de abundancia.

Cuenta la historia que antes
la moneda más pequeña compraba un dulce
que con unas cuantas en la palma
se entraba al mundo de los bolsillos llenos
y que éstos eran sabrosas e inacabables bóvedas.

Ahora esas monedas nada compran
al menos que acumules un puñado.
Los niños por sí solos ya no llenan sus bolsillos
y se juntan a obtenerlas. A ellas o a eso que antes
con una sola conseguían.

Algunos marchan, se toman los edificios,
otros asechan a un turista
en el punto ciego de la calle. Y si no lo hacen
viene el cuco y se los come.

Close

Abundance

Sweets are the coins of children.
Those that are small and of little value
those that are useless for their parents, that inside their tiny pockets
are slices of abundance.

The story goes that there was a time
when the smallest coin bough something sweet
and with a few coins in you palm
you could enter the Kingdom of Full Pockets
which were delicious eternal vaults.

But now those are coins to buy nothing
without amassing a handful.
Children by themselves can no longer fill their pockets
and so they gather together to attain a bunch of coins
or those items they used to get for one cent.  

Some kids may march, others occupy a building
or set a trap to catch a tourist
in a blind alleyway. And if they don't
the boogie man eats them all.

Abundance

Sweets are the coins of children.
Those that are small and of little value
those that are useless for their parents, that inside their tiny pockets
are slices of abundance.

The story goes that there was a time
when the smallest coin bough something sweet
and with a few coins in you palm
you could enter the Kingdom of Full Pockets
which were delicious eternal vaults.

But now those are coins to buy nothing
without amassing a handful.
Children by themselves can no longer fill their pockets
and so they gather together to attain a bunch of coins
or those items they used to get for one cent.  

Some kids may march, others occupy a building
or set a trap to catch a tourist
in a blind alleyway. And if they don't
the boogie man eats them all.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère