AYIF

 

Ayif the other face of the moon,

ayif the east of pearls,

ayif the word which still has not been spoken,

ayif the tails of the anonymous comet

which will never approach the earth.

 

Ayif the child who, at birth,

eliminates the flower which gave him life,

ayif the posthumous child and poem,

ayif the girl who was never kissed,

ayif the book that wasn’t read,

ayif the flower which never became fruit

ayif the waves of gloomy seas

in which a keel never rode,

ayif the cut orange blossoms

which didn’t decorate weddings,

ayif the backside that didn’t become a lily,

ayif the hand that held no stars,

ayif the laughter that launched no ships

and the voices that never echoed.

 

Ayif color in which never

and nevertheless

in which perhaps.

———-

AÍF

 

Aíf la otra cara de la luna,

aíf el oriente de las perlas,

aíf la palabra que no ha sido mencionada,

aíf la cola del cometa anónimo

que jamás se acercará a la tierra.

 

Aíf el niño que al nacer

elimina la flor que le dio vida,

aíf el niño y el poema póstumos,

aíf la joven que no tuvo besos,

aíf el libro que no fue leído,

aíf la flor que nunca se hizo fruto,

aíf la ola de los mares lóbregos

en donde nunca se posó una quilla,

aíf los azahares ya cortados

que no alumbraron bodas,

aíf la espalda que no se hizo lirio,

aíf la mano que no tuvo estrellas,

aíf las risas que no alzaron barcos

y las voces que no alcanzaron eco.

 

Aíf color de en donde nunca

y sin embargo

de en donde tal vez.

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About the Author

Otto-Raúl González, one of the greatest Latin American poet of the 20th Century, was born in Guatemala in 1921 and died in Mexico in 2007. His passionate work, particularly in his book Diez Colores Nuevos, or Ten New Colors, presses at the limits of linguistic potential. We are honored that his family has granted permission for La Cuadra to publish some of his work. We hope, through Dyslexia Books Publishing, to have a new edition of Ten New Colors available in the coming months.
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