Rocío Ágreda Piérola
Translated from the Spanish by Jessica Sequeira
the swimmers coordinate their strokes
on the banks of my soul
to name this state
to dare say soul
the years come in gusts
I unfinish
I wait crowned with love
I disorder my habits
I naïvely choreograph before the silence facing him
by my eyes there passes
the gold where the dust of my childhood home dances
camels pass
the same Bolívar Street as ever
the red moon and my mothers' shouts
the storm takes photographs of instants in flight
I miss the horses drawn with blue chalk on the walls
I recognize the will to create pretty spaces
where I discover nothing
and not only that
I dismantle my instruments
I twist them out of tune to catch other sounds
an insect looked at me
this wasn't the way to arrive I suppose
I align my eyes in a direction
that lets me shipwreck
nothing but inside myself
I go yellow
I confront no answer
I shelter an error as if it were a refuge
I corral an idea that neighs and kicks to escape
it doesn't matter
outside to become wind
he looks me in the face
I persist
invisible as I am
I collect subtle movements on a stone beach
the battle isn't lost in any way
I take stock of even the tiniest movement
I still press it down a bit at the edges as I sculpt it
I twist my tongue out of tune
the one I used as a stick to gather the fruit
when they threw us out
and I begin again



Los nadadores alinean sus brazadas

los nadadores alinean sus brazadas
a orillas de mi alma
nombrar este estadío
atreverse a decir alma
los años vienen en ráfagas
yo inconcluyo
espero coronada en amor
desorganizo mis costumbres
coreografío ingenuamente frente al silencio de cara a él
pasan por mis ojos
el oro donde baila el polvo de la casa infantil
pasan camellos
la misma calle Bolívar de todas las veces
la luna roja y los gritos de mis madres
la tormenta fotografía instantes en fuga
extraño los caballos pintados con tiza azul en las paredes
reconozco la voluntad de crear espacios bonitos
donde no hallo
y no solamente eso
desarmo mis instrumentos
los desafino para captar otros ruidos
me ha mirado un insecto
no era ésta la forma de llegar supongo
alineo mis ojos en una dirección
que me permita naufragar
nada más que en mí
amarilleo
no enfrento respuesta
resguardo un error como si fuese un refugio
acorralo una idea que relincha y patea por salir
no importa
afuera devenir viento
me mira a la cara
persisto
invisible que soy
colecciono sutiles movimientos en una playa de piedra ,
la batalla no está perdida de ningún modo
inventarío incluso cada movimiento minúsculo
lo rebajo todavía un poco por los hordes al esculpir
desafino mi lengua
la que me sirvió de palo para recoger la fruta
cuando nos expulsaron
y vuelvo a comenzar
from the book HORSES DRAWN WITH BLUE CHALK / Ugly Duckling Presse
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