sometimes
forward
is back
and back
is forward
funny
how it works out
that way
Month: March 2015
another from Proverbs and Folksongs by Antonio Machado
Light of the soul, divine light,
beacon, torch, star, sun. . .
A man gropes his way along
carrying a lamp on his back.
translated by Mary G. Berg & Dennis Maloney
an old favorite: Later by Robert Creeley
If I could get
my hands on
a little bit
of it–neither fish,
flesh, nor fowl. Not
you, Harry. No one’s
mother–or father,
or children. Not
me again. Not
earth, sky, water–
no mind, no time.
No islands in the sun.
Money I don’t want.
No place more
than another–
I’m not here
by myself. But,
if you want to give
me something for Xmas,
I’ll be around.
It’s Possible That While We Were Dreaming by Antonio Machado
It’s possible that while we were dreaming
the hand that casts out the stars like seeds
started up the ancient music once more
–like a note from a great harp–
and the frail wave came to our lips
in the form of one or two honest words.
translated by Robert Bly
and again Antonio Machado
You say nothing is created new?
Don’t worry about it, with the mud
of the earth, make a cup
from which your brother can drink.
translated by Robert Bly
Antonio Machado again
Beyond living and dreaming
there is something more important:
waking up.
translated by Robert Bly
another from Antonio Machado
What the poet is searching for
is not the fundamental I
but the deep you.
translated by Robert Bly
from Moral Proverbs & Folk Songs by Antonio Machado
Pay attention now:
a heart that’s all by itself
is not a heart.
translated by Robert Bly
Don’t Come To Me With The Entire Truth by Olav H. Hauge
Don’t come to me with the entire truth.
Don’t bring the ocean if I feel thirsty,
nor heaven if I ask for light;
but bring a hint, some dew, a particle,
as birds carry only drops away from water,
and the wind a grain of salt.
translated by Robert Bly
counting stars
here
counting stars
that dot the sky
over your head
Leonard Durso 