From a Continuing Work in Spanish

1.

 

I come to you from a dark corner on the farm

 

I am studying Spanish      el cielo se oscurece

 

yo siento algunas gotas de agua      es de día      buenos días

 

es la señorita Spanish, my glance

 

I come to you from Peru

 

a car crash outside Lima in The Attempt

 

a book without a theme with many events with no person no

 

personality

 

except the man who is telling it he’s not lying probably

 

he’s very calm

 

the wild man with the studded knife who weaned the cattle

 

now kills them mercilessly

 

a bloody mess

 

a bloody crash

 

South America = blood

 

it is that time & I am a woman

 

a woman who dreams of fucking women who fucks women is

not alone is not unusual

 

a party a dream a party a dream a reunion

 

J & M & the novelist is the hotel proprietor.

 

Whom will I sleep with? who’s here now? What is a mammal?

 

a sticky climate with insects

 

 have you heard of the peccary?

 

& the many marsupials?

 

el sol principia a salir

 

 

2.

 

I come to you from the woods above Allen’s farm there is a view

 

at-a-glance      everything moves

 

hace mucho viento

 

C & I take a walk

 

hermano y hermana

 

    we talk about M & M

 

mean & women

 

& men who know what they want to do they just do it

 

women with mammal brain is naturally more just is so live with it

if you can’t

 

pitch a tent

 

I come to you from a big ache      acres of land

there is no artificial paradise in South America

 

tengo mucho que hacer

 

la madrugada is the morning

 

 

3.

left to itself

 

I dream a Spanish dream

 

I say “left wing” because it is your grandmother’s

 

broken life

 

  listen: start playing

 

playing: start, listening

 

your grandmother is talking but not saying anything. Her

gray bun

 

the Indian woman, black

 

her life on her back

 

over the mountain

 

listen

 

her sharp tongue is not at all like

 

any bird you could mention

 

me vuelo

 

vuelvo

 

I fly away I go back

 

I am an ancestor I am big & blond I am a mountain

 

I am conquistador

 

viajo

 

she speaks      she mumbles      she turns

 

not at all like

 

any bird you could mention

 

 

4.

 

not a way to go.      an ocean.      a lake.      a

raging river.

 

the narrows

 

Someone is hungry

 

the children are hungry   they don’t look like you

 

we are related but we are also related to the big dog and to the

dino dinosaur

 

con ella no pueden igualarse

 

los tesoros que la tierra

 

contiene ni el mar encubre

 

with to can not be compared the treasures which the earth

 

contains or

 

sea

 

  hides

 

a woman is mi madre

 

solo solo

 

 

5.

 

sweating)

 

my lover’s arm touches the sky

 

it’s a sacred land between rock & river

 

sweet      lazy      watery      blue

 

he’s so high

 

means: temper with a plan

 

means: of course

 

means: I’ve taken my chances

 

not sorry

 

not going back

 

he’s got arms of steel

 

he’s got a cock of steel

 

come, my sisters, & play with his long dark hair

 

 

6.

 

the lover

 

the hand that feeds the mother

 

the dogs barking

 

the guitar

 

no lo entiendo

 

I come I conquer

 

start playing

 

listen: temper with a plan

 

a woman who dreams of fucking women who fucks women is

not alone is not unusual

 

a bloody mess

 

  South America equals blood

 

sweet lazy watery blue

 

restless dogs shaking collars in

 

half-sleep

 

ni el mar encubre

 

hombre y mujer

 

brother & sister

 

the novelist a hotel proprietor

 

amor

 

woman who dreams of

 

fucking

 

at a glance

 

everything moves

 

I come to you

 

tengo mucho que hacer

 

nada nada

 

whom will I sleep with?   Who’s here now?   what is a mammal?

 

 

7.

 

A sacred land between rock & river

 

restless dogs

 

gas lamps

 

fantastic storm

 

people turning in their old beds

 

big people mumbling & moving about

 

night birds

 

the wild man with the studded knife who weaned the cattle

 

now kills them mercilessly

 

hace claro de luna

 

know Spanish

 

put it in your mouth & roll it around

 

la cama means bed

 

where I go

 

& wait

 

esperemos

 

fíjese el plan, gracias

 

 

8.

 

I go I conquer I wake up

 

there is no artificial paradise in South America

 

a party a dream a reunion

 

mapping

 

a woman a mother a grandmother a lover

 

I wait      I write      I travel

 

I come to you from a dark corner on the farm

 

I come to you from Peru

 

climb by train

 

return by plane

 

I come to you from a dark corner on the farm

 

I wait      I start      I stop

 

my lover sleeps in the attic

 

big people stumble & move about

 

gas lamps       

 

fantastic storm

 

know passion

 

know Spanish

 

a city built by conquistadors is never modest, never

 

dreaming

 

a woman, her life on her back

 

stoops

 

not at all like any bird you could mention

 

 

9.

 

el mar encubre

 

solo solo

 

above Allen’s farm there is a view & everything moves

 

men & women

 

take a walk

 

there is no paradise in North America

 

I write from a dark corner

 

in peace & quiet

 

my life on my back

 

I read & study

 

a book without a theme with many events

 

with no person no personality

 

whom will I sleep with?   who’s right here?   what is the country?

 

South America = blood

 

la madrugada is the morning

 

acres of land

 

I dream a Spanish dream

 

tempered with a plan

 

 

10.

 

the mother      takes the lover

 

she mumbles   she turns

 

a dog jumps on la cama

 

the man who weaned the cattle he’s very calm

 

a man with no themes no personality

 

over the mountain

 

night birds

 

not a way to go.

 

have you heard of the peccary & the many marsupials?

 

her sharp tongue

 

it’s a sacred land between rock & river

 

listen      listen      listen

 

a woman who dreams of fucking women who fucks women is

not unusual

 

is not alone

 

her master, the life on her back

 

her black hair, the only home you can mention

 

los tesoros que la tierra contiene

 

my lover sleeps above

 

someone is hungry

 

everything moves

 

restless dogs shake their collars in half-sleep

 

 

11.

 

a lake      a raging

 

an ocean

 

narrows

 

we are related to the big dog

 

& the dinosaur

 

awake the “noticias”

 

a Latin beat, do you remember?

 

do you remember grandmother like a mountain

 

heaving?

 

wild?

 

con ella no pueden igualarse

 

ni el mar encubre

 

conquistador

 

ancestor

 

crash

 

I come to you from a big ache

 

left to itself

 

tengo mucho que hacer

 

 

12.

 

esperemos

 

mapping

 

mountains & a city shrouded in fog

 

mountains & a lover upstairs

 

he’s very calm

 

not sleeping probably

 

learn      grow

 

climb by plane

 

a city built by conquerors is never modest, never dreaming

 

I dream a Latin dream

 

I dream a poet’s dream

 

el cielo se oscurece

 

a sticky climate with insects

 

men & women

 

woman with mammal brain

 

man with arms of steel

 

    hermano y hermana

 

 

13.

 

with many events with no person no personality

 

where am I?      with whom will I sleep?

 

she speaks      she turns

 

what is the country?

 

mi madre

 

la madrugada

 

it’s that time

 

who dreams of fucking

 

night birds

 

a modern dream    

 

 

14.

 

a country so big where is its mother?

 

I come to you from

 

studying passion

 

with to cannot be compared the treasures

 

which the earth contains or sea hides

 

a bloody mess

 

the radio blaring the noticias

 

hombre y mujer

 

come, my sisters, &

 

stumble in the dark

 

 

15.

 

solo solo

 

the wild man with the studded knife who weaned

 

the cattle now kills them mercilessly

 

this is a mother-book

 

me vuelo

 

this is dark-continent-time

 

I write to you from a corner on the farm

 

it’s dangerous

 

There is no artificial paradise in South America.