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IN THE CITY PARK

IN THE CITY PARK
The sky grey as the sidewalks
And monuments, the YMCA converted into
Exclusive condos, I pause
On a funeral sort of day, a bit of ice
Remaining in grasses. Envisioning a pit
Without a bottom, bodies rumbling like ants---
Something from a dream while I was ill.
I'm the only one here. My trench coat is long and black
I sit on the ends of it. A detective
Without a license, much less a weapon.
Even the bars are closed. It must
Be a holiday. Or the end of the world
And I'm the only one who doesn't know,
Which would be odd. Time is tricky,
Grandmother had complained near the end.
Even the pigeons have fled

///

NO PARQUE DA CIDADE

O céu cinzento tal como os passeios
E monumentos, o YMCA transformado
Num condomínio exclusivo. Faço uma pausa
Numa espécie de dia de enterro, um pouco de gelo
Permanece nos relvados. Imagine-se um poço
Sem fundo, corpos cambaleando como formigas---
Algo do sonho quando estive doente.
Sou o único aqui. O meu casaco de trincheira é comprido e preto
Sento-me na sua ponta. Um detective
Sem licença, muito menos uma arma.
Até os bares estão fechados. Se calhar
É feriado. Ou o fim do mundo
E eu sou o único sem o saber,
O que parecerá estranho. O tempo é instável,
A minha avó lamentava-se perto do fim.
Até os pombos fugiram

by Robert WANDERMOLEN, in "SKIN", Milkweed Editions, 2021

(English translated by Armando TABORDA, 2022)

(photograph: Michigan Park, taken from Internet, under the fair use doctrine for noncommercial cultural purposes)

Nouchetdu38, Ecobird, Andy Rodker, Boro and 3 other people have particularly liked this photo


Latest comments - All (7)
 Boro
Boro
Superbe !!
2 years ago.
 Armando Taborda
Armando Taborda club has replied
...not sad, just melancholic...
2 years ago.
 Armando Taborda
Armando Taborda club has replied
Merci, Boro!
2 years ago.
 Ecobird
Ecobird club
Very moving and the image you have matched with it fits perfectly Armando

Have a good week
2 years ago.
 Armando Taborda
Armando Taborda club has replied
You know, I love Rob Poetry, he is a deep telluric poet, who converts small daily events of life and emotions into great poems, often with a mysterious and/or surprising background. It's a great adventure to know the USA through his clever, sensitive, and wonderful collections. He is my friend for some years now, and times by time has been my pleasure to translate a few of his poems into Portuguese.
2 years ago.

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