sleeping elephant
grass wind-shimmers in the sun
dreams of sky and sea
no clouds
no clouds disturbing
tigered light through trees
green autumn unity
small joys
the smell of rain on dust
the one cool corner of the duvet
mango sprinkled with lime juice
the way you look back as you walk away
Come, break down my house
Come, break down my house.
Come, break it down with your hammers
your bulldozers and ugly angry men.
Break it down, cut down the trees,
turn the bricks to dust, the branches to ashes.
It smelled good the olive wood smoke
when it burned in my hearth.
Now it claws in my throat.
My house is gone, the trees are now cut.
My family stand in the swirling dust
and you laugh.
Laugh, laugh if you will,
but know this.
My house may be gone
but I have breathed in its dust.
My hair smells of the smoke of my trees.
My house may be gone.
My house may be gone.
But my home will always be here.
So goodbye, a kiss
It was a nest
Though now young heart encouraged and air brave
breaks stretched bonds of parents’ fearing
Home will always be
They will miss you, son, yes of course they will
They will miss you soon
Why else would they have changed your name?
As Don Chiciuco laughs across the border
waking you to another dream
Study! Study as we never did
Learn the world from inside and from out
Study with the social, learn the individual
See the seedling, the germ fast flowing in the blood
So goodbye, a kiss upon the cheek
Your world grows wider as ours contracts
Our future that of which we cannot speak
Learn how to remember – we have taught you how to act
For Matteo
Matera settembre 2018
E allora addio, un bacio
Era un nido
anche se ora il giovane cuore, incoraggiato e impavido come l’aria,
rompe la corda tesa dai timori dei genitori
sarà sempre casa
Loro sentiranno la tua mancanza, figlio, sì certo
sentiranno la tua mancanza subito
Altrimenti perché avrebbero cambiato il tuo nome?
Mentre Don Chiciuco ride al di là del confine
ti sveglia ad un nuovo sogno
Studia! Studia come noi non abbiamo mai fatto
Impara il mondo dal di dentro e dal di fuori
Studia con il sociale, impara l’individuale
Vedi il germoglio, il germe che scorre nel sangue
E allora addio, un bacio sulla guancia
il tuo mondo si espande mentre il nostro contrae
il nostro futuro, quello di cui non possiamo parlare
impara come ricordare, noi ti abbiamo insegnato come agire
Traduzione di Mariella e Matteo
September evening
heavy clouds rumble
citronella candles gutter
mosquitoes whine
sweat prickles
Monsoon
she left
his eyes dry
in his heart
a monsoon
sky cool blue promise
sky cool blue promise
sun teasing through wisping clouds
eyes behind a fringe
magnolia petals fall
sheltering from rain
magnolia petals fall
a gentle pelting
A single petal falls inside my collar, cool against warm skin. The raindrop it held trickles slowly down, a single tear goodbye.
raindrops softly cease
clouds are clearing in the breeze
my mind stills to dream
inspired by some words my friend @TangledFox used
world, wonderful
on the motorway
from funeral to airport
a double rainbow
