Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Cristóbal Joannon

Mourning

Where it says house it should say ruins,
where it says milk, it should say clay.
Whatever you hoped for is already gone or never
was, nobody will compensate the damages.

Wet dust your hands held onto,
animals charred after the storm.
Restrain your accumulated delirium: her beauty
isn’t worth even the way the sick are treated.

Plants that never grew, ceilings that rained,
blurred landscapes that turn their back on you, now
like unserved revenge. Leave it as it is:
accept the dust between your legs.

Maybe the people who preach that the world’s
a recent creation aren’t lying.
Every time round winter is weaker
and the hawthorns announce their own flowering.

Duelo

Duelo

Donde dice casa debe decir ruinas,
donde dice leche debe decir barro.
Cuanto esperaste ya se fue o nunca estuvo,
nadie responderá por los daños recibidos.

Pólvora mojada que tus manos apresaron,
animales carbonizados después de la tormenta.
Reprime tu delirio acumulado: su belleza no merece
ni siquiera el trato que reciben los enfermos.

Plantas que no crecieron, techos que se llovieron,
paisajes borrosos que ahora te dan la espalda
como una venganza nunca ejecutada.
Déjalo así: acepta la ceniza entre las piernas.

Tal vez no mientan quienes predican
que este mundo recién comienza.
El invierno es cada vez más débil
y los espinos anuncian su propio florecer.
Close

Mourning

Where it says house it should say ruins,
where it says milk, it should say clay.
Whatever you hoped for is already gone or never
was, nobody will compensate the damages.

Wet dust your hands held onto,
animals charred after the storm.
Restrain your accumulated delirium: her beauty
isn’t worth even the way the sick are treated.

Plants that never grew, ceilings that rained,
blurred landscapes that turn their back on you, now
like unserved revenge. Leave it as it is:
accept the dust between your legs.

Maybe the people who preach that the world’s
a recent creation aren’t lying.
Every time round winter is weaker
and the hawthorns announce their own flowering.

Mourning

Where it says house it should say ruins,
where it says milk, it should say clay.
Whatever you hoped for is already gone or never
was, nobody will compensate the damages.

Wet dust your hands held onto,
animals charred after the storm.
Restrain your accumulated delirium: her beauty
isn’t worth even the way the sick are treated.

Plants that never grew, ceilings that rained,
blurred landscapes that turn their back on you, now
like unserved revenge. Leave it as it is:
accept the dust between your legs.

Maybe the people who preach that the world’s
a recent creation aren’t lying.
Every time round winter is weaker
and the hawthorns announce their own flowering.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère