Insomnia
The night has
stolen my dream
and forces me
to stare at the moon
The night steals
my dream
and gives me insomnia
that writes poetry . . .
Insomnios
la noche me ha
robado el sueño
me obliga a
contemplar la luna
la noche me roba
el sueño
para regalarme insomnios
que escriben poesía…
Morning Vigil
I
Come, brothers,
to give birth to new
words
to say what’s already been
said
and take back our words
Come, brothers
Even though our last
names divide us,
we’re united by red wine,
the blood of
poets . . .
I
vengan hermanos
a parir conmigo palabras
nuevas
a decir lo que ya está
dicho
a desdecirnos
vengan hermanos
que aunque nos separe el
apellido
nos une el vino tinto
la sangre de
poetas…
II
They say there are
imperial languages
technological languages, and
even love
languages
Chinese, English, French
They’re wrong
They haven’t
heard anyone
speaking Spanish
They haven’t
heard a
poet talk . . .
II
dicen que hay
lenguas imperiales
lenguas tecnológicas y
hasta lenguas del
amor
chino inglés francés
se equivocan
no han
oído a nadie
hablando español
no han
oído hablar a un
poeta…
III
And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I’m asleep.
−James Blunt, “Goodbye My Lover”
I’m
the screaming silence
your silent tongue
I’m
your enemy love
your hatred in love
I’m
you and me
I’m
you-me . . .
III
And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I’m asleep.
−James Blunt, “Goodbye My Lover”
soy
el silencio a gritos
tu lengua callada
soy
el amor enemigo
tu odio enamorado
soy tú
tú y yo
soy
tú-yo…
© All rights reserved José Clemente Carreño
José Clemente Carreño Medina was born in Mexico and currently lives in Kirksville, Missouri, where he is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Truman State University. He has authored various books, including Vigilias (2014), Serpientes y escaleras (2015), and Como si fuese a dejar la tierra (2017).