123. In a sequence

and before [“in the place of”] a method of action
(as a mode of thought) distilled and {certainly}
taken into the body [as a means of being made]
and taken into the body [as a means of loving]
or open [to the possibility of, at the consideration of]
nada a dizer {no es español} yet we still speak
(peak and peek), comma or apostrophe’s height
[in the sense of weight] nothing rhymes with the eye
(yet the ear continues just the same) extensions
{allurements, debilitations, modifications to}
and these tendencies of the body [to interact, to
dispel, to dissuade, to cause to be forgotten forever]
consumed by the thought (in the sense of seeking)
or believed true or truthful [tending to accept
whatever is said as verified fact] and the distance
it takes for a body to move {to a place it wants
to be (if a body truly wants [if it is not merely
a mind that wants])} Myrtle and her crepe paper
{and the trees that grow along the streets of
Baton Rouge [red stick] or Rough} leaning into
the wind that winds out of the sky at night
(all these systems of darkness overtaking us)
because I am nothing [porque soy nada]
and the wind winds west {torque of th’Earth)
I see the color of the sky as the color beyond
the moon’s breadth (width of breathing) and
what comes after what becomes becomes what
comes before what succumbs [his succubus]
containing within the extent of desire the belief
{of the body as sanctuary from the earth} and
dwindling heat and extenuating cold come as
they come (a bit of warmth down the throat)
but they don’t come yet [a swallow of tequila]
and take another {parataxis} and another
(so that, in such manner, we may continue
[in this way, with a particular object of desire
intended, without the usual trappings of hope,
wanting less than we would ever expect
to receive] leading to a surfeit of waves
(and the ocean rising to greet us) our feet
wet and our eyes open {vision as a
responsibility to see things as they are}
my tendency is to exceed my limitations
[the extent of the body] my tendency is to
become as if one with the word (what comes
from the body is of the body) as if I had
an idea {I’d a horrible thought} and the
consequences of considerations [the dis-
coveries of the mind] ¿if you had a man
living in the state of my birth (what I’ve
abandoned is my birthright) would you
understand the words he could only write?
{those he couldn’t speak} the sting on
the tongue from drinking the agave
[agape and agape] we see in an instance
of vision (is vision, is visible darkness
and light, variations of blindness and
sight) so it is that we are deliberate
and we recommend the processes of
deliberation {wasted and wounded but
welcoming wishing} ¿quieres algo?
¿quieres todo? ¿quieres el mundo como
un sol sin luz? mi lengua es de color roja
(mi sangre es de color rojo) y mi vergüenza
es la razón [pero no hablo español] pero
no puedo cantar {no lo puedo, no lo puedo]
he vivido en Bolivia durante dos años
cuando estaba en mi juventud (y no tengo
ningun juventud más) mi idioma no es tuya
[mis esperanzas son sin límites] soy boy
{that is what I say to my son for we are
human males and must admit it} en el juego
de la vida somos los vencedores amables
(gracias a tu, gracias a tu novio Juan)

Comments

  1. Gracias Geof, it has been one of the most wonderful letter I had ever received. El mejor regalo de cumpleaños.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are too kind, Mara, and do not forget tu novio Juan.

    Geof

    ReplyDelete

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