by Fayad Jamís
Fruits ripen in the rain
Horses neigh in the barnyard
One-armed Paco runs up to say
that the buzz of bees
will scrape the sky
Every mule going by
is splattered to its neck in mud
Hens shit in the cornfield
One-armed Paco brings us
a fresh bundle of cane
Brother we are sweating
dying singing
while we plunge down these roots
see the pitirre bird in the top of the palm
If tonight someone invites us
to hear stories of witchcraft
what shall we say?
— That the night will be green by the light of coconut palms.
Paris, 1956.
Translated from the Spanish by Kathleen Weaver.