the swimming pool and the sea are at a dive distance
and the insidious wave of heat covers our skin as if it was sweat

in the beach
blind from bright light
deaf by salt crystals in the ears
and dumb by so many people amazement
knees in water and my back to the India sea route
astonished I behold buildings planted on the cliff
pulsating mirages of Portugal a piscina e o mar estão à distância de um mergulho
e o calor insidioso cobre a nossa pele como se fosse suor

na praia
cego da luz intensa
surdo dos cristais de sal nos ouvidos
e mudo no pasmo de tanta gente
com água pelos joelhos e de costas para a rota marítima da Índia
contemplo estupefacto os prédios plantados na falésia
a pulsarem miragens de Portugal

by Armando TABORDA, 2016

(post 1st edition, 2016; 2nd edition, 2022)