
Ediciones Vigía, Matanzas, Cuba
LA LLORONA Handmade bilingual edition of my poem with Spanish translation by María Vázquez Valdez
I found her
by the banks of the San Antonio.
I know, you’d think she’d choose
the Rio Grande or Colorado
for her nightly walks:
rivers of strength and purpose,
dividing nations or raging
through the greatest canyon of them all.
But I knew
she preferred more intimate beauty.
I’d done my homework.
between the moan of freight trains
charging night
in that south Texas city.
I thought I discerned a minor key,
high harmony in late September
and followed the sound
notebook in hand,
sharpened pencil ready.
magnificent profile
hidden beneath her long black veil
I confused at first
with tree shadows in quiet air.
Almost midnight,
still high nineties.
Who could sleep?
I thought she might run
but she turned
slowly toward me,
seemed resigned to talk...