So Long

"When you're settled in your ways
love does come, but never stays."

So you said
one day
Anne.

You drove
and it was spring
and you were kind
and air rushed in
through the window.

Monitos perejiles

Somos monitos todos
perejiles y salvajes
sumidos hasta los codos
en pueriles nimiedades.

ana

quizás mañana ya no haya ana
ana que es luz y es ventana
ana que es sábana y cama
ana que es charco y es rana
ana que es ana en mañana
aunque mañana ya no haya ana

A Doomed Expedition

He caulked his skull with bulky words,

His tongue a swirling sword,

His mouth a stormy sea he could not cork.

Both conqueror and conquered world,

He set his sails towards us.

Our inner groans and wails at his approach

Were wind against those sails;

He turned creakingly around

While behind his back blew wild

A hurricane of ridicule:

Our air of so called cool.

Another One by Langston

Young Sailor

He carries
His own strength
And his own laughter,
His own today
And his own hereafter-
This strong young sailor
Of the wide seas.

What is money for?
To spend, he says.
And wine?
To drink.
And women?
To love.
And today?
For joy.
And the green sea
For strength,
And the brown land
For laughter.

And nothing hereafter.

- - - - - - - - - -

I love this poem. The image of the sailor is youth itself, as it often is: sure of itself, defying conventions, full of energy and life, a little self-centered. My favorite part, though, are the last three verses.

"And the brown land for laughter, and nothing hereafter."

Sublime.

New niece or nephew

L. & S. are expecting, again. They found out about it last Friday, January 14th, the day before Consuelo turned 8 months old.

They were both pretty shocked. L. got understandably emotional, and she cried a little, she told me. She was instantly afraid that complications might arise, she would be given absolute rest, and she wouldn't be able to pick up Consuelo. Of course they are both happy and they were planning to get pregnant pretty soon, anyways, but they hadn't really started trying.

Anyways, two days ago what L. feared happened: she started bleeding and it turns out she has some kind of bruise in her uterus, so she has to have absolute rest. She has to stay in bed and won't be able to pick up Consuelo for a while...

This must be terribly hard on her. Luckily she has her two sisters, her mom and mine who live nearby, plus my brother who can work from home, most of the time. I hope they will all be well.

In spite all of this, I am happy for the new arrival to the family. S/he will be surrounded by our love.

Nieve

Nieve, no me mueves.
Moverme nadie puede
ya. Un día me fuiste nueva
pero el tiempo rueda
y yo no. No puedo más.
No veo y no vuelvo
atrás. Antes podía y vivía
y volaba con el viento;
hoy es poco lo que siento.
Caí y me asenté y soy tú.
Me veo por la ventana
y no se me mueve nada.

Not exactly a clone...

I had a strange dream tonight. Slipping away, but i'll try to write down the part that remains. Setting and plot are all gone, but there was this idea: an unfertilized ovum was emptied of its nucleus, and replaced by the nucleus of a man's sperm. Then the ovum was fertilized by a sperm of the same man.

It just occurred to me that if two men wanted to have a child that was genetically both of theirs, this would be the (a?) way to do it... Of course, gene combination would have to be controlled in some way. Otherwise the child might end up with two Y chromosomes and no X, for instance, and I doubt that such combination is viable.

Strange thoughts to be having this early on a Saturday morning.

A Poem by Langston Hughes

I loved my friend.
He went away from me.
There's nothing more to say.
The poem ends
Soft as it began-
I loved my friend.