A FAMILY CEREMONY

And she laid the table
and she asked everyone to sit around
and she prayed with her eyes shut
and she thought we prayed with her
and he looked at her
and then looked at me looking at him
and warm blood overspilled the shopping board
and the knife went in
and I didn't want to see
and he said to me
"don't be so gay, no seas maricón"
and I looked at my empty plate
and pressed my hands under the table
and ate my words
and they tasted to burnt barbecue
and Mother thanked the Lord with her eyes shut
and we thanked the Lord after her

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CERIMÓNIA FAMILIAR

E ela pôs a mesa
e pediu a todos para se sentarem à volta
e rezou de olhos fechados
e pensou que estávamos a rezar com ela
e ele olhou para ela
e depois olhou para mim a olhar para ele
e o sangue quente derramou-se na tábua de cortar
e a faca penetrou
e eu não quis ver
e ele disse-me
"não sejas tão maricas, no seas maricón"
e eu olhei para o meu prato vazio
e apertei as minhas mãos debaixo da mesa
e comi as minhas palavras
e elas souberam-me a churrasco queimado
e a Mãe agradeceu ao Senhor de olhos fechados
e nós agradecemos ao Senhor depois dela

by Leonardo BOIX, Argentinian poet based in London, in "THE POETRY REVIEW", Volume 108:2, Summar 2018

(Portuguese translated by Armando TABORDA, 2018)

(photo taken from Internet; edited by Armando TABORDA)