SECTION NINE
POETRY PAGE TWO
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COLUMN FIFTY-TWO, OCTOBER 1, 2000
(Copyright © 2000 Al Aronowitz)
(Photo by Carlos Arturo Puerta)
[From Colombia's celebrated poet, Raúl Henao of
Medellin,
here's another poem in Spanish, accompanied by its English translation, both
from Raúl's La vida a la carta or Life a la carte.]
EN
HUECO
Una mañana desperté en hueco
No quedaba el más ligero rastro de mí en
la habitación
Mi cuerpo tomaba indistintamente la forma
del objeto que tenia a la mano
No alcanzaba a mirarme al espejo
Ni siquiera hallaba el fondo de mis bolsillos
Ni un solo cabello desprendido sobre la
sábana muy blanca
Entonces abrí la puerta del cuarto:
Me había
quedado afuera.
*
* *
EMPTINESS
One morning I awoke empty
There remained not the slightest trace of me in the room
My body took indistinctly the form of whatever object
was in reach
I did not succeed in looking at myself in the mirror
I could not even locate the bottom of my pockets
Not one single hair lay on the very white sheet
Then I opened the room door:
I had left myself outside.
(Translated by Philip West)
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