(to a fish)
Brandon Holmquest translating the Spanish of Julia Ferrer
click here for the Spanish text
its silent body resolves to play palm to palm
with death
its eyes never decide to accompany me
it's a discreet, dark room
where you are stained
with an unknown something
(permanent hammock-swing of iridescent hair)
what will you make of
your soundless, bloodless body
which i love for itself
irreparable, crazy
will you know what you have?
what is yours and still
mine i'm sorry
and mine i suffer from
The hands you don't have
hurt me sometimes
vainly caressing
my belly my back
my open legs
could the sun fall into the seas and extinguish itself
or burn itself up completely
and writhe in the ashes
dying of thirst
for light?
lima—may—56—
Brandon Holmquest edits the poetry and criticism sections at Asymptote and writes poems and translates things, usually poems.
Julia Ferrer (1925-1995) was born in Lima, Peru. In her lifetime she published only two books and had a few poems in small magazines. She also wrote theatrical works for stage and radio, and taught theater at the university level.
