Affectionate Reception

There are evenings that break upon the soul.
There are evenings, those of the broken souls.
There are wings that break in the evening
or in the soul and they are not seen, they are not seen.

But then the evening upon the souls.

There are deposits of wings that have been
detached, thrown, torn out, or are barely
tired of flying without ever arriving.
There are wings that have never parted
and ignore the sound of their flight.

There are wings absent from the evening
that breaks, from the soul that breaks,
from the rupture of the souls and the evenings
which embrace maternal gravity.

But then the soul upon the soul.

Copyright 2004 by Elena Cohen Imach.  Translated by Ron Hudson.

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Regazo

Hay tardes que se quiebran sobre el alma.
Hay  tardes, las  del alma que se quiebra.
Hay alas que se quiebran en la tarde
o en el alma y no se ven, no se ven.

Pero entonces la tarde sobre el alma.

Hay depósitos de alas desprendidas,
arrojadas, arrancadas o apenas
cansadas de volar y no llegar.
Hay alas que no han partido nunca
e ignoran el sonido de su vuelo.

Hay alas ausentadas de la tarde
que se quiebra, del alma que se quiebra,
del quiebre de las almas y las tardes
que abrazan la materna gravedad.

Pero entonces el alma sobre el alma.

Copyright 2004 by Elena Cohen Imach.