Adobo Criollo Sergio Antonio Ortiz Rivera

she works for a God with no need to rummage--. you better leave before I get medieval on you with a cup

These are two poems by   by Mahvash Sabet .  One was translated by PhD Pedro Perez Osorio and the other is a very loose translation of mine. Mahvash Sabet - Prison Poems Dije: Defíneme la Soledad. Y dijiste: Cuando no hay nadie a tu lado. Dije: ¿Y si aún estás más sola que eso? Y dijiste: Entonces, cuando no tienes quien te ame. Y dije: Defíneme la soledad más absoluta. Y dijiste: Cuando nadie te comprende. Crisálida lloro por el suave capullo donde yo yacía cual crisálida delicada aplastada ante mis ojos aquel día me lanzan de aquí para allá-- atrapada entre compulsiones anhelo la libertad del vuelo sin embargo ansió consolaciones tenues-- y cuando mi alma rompió sus cadenas parte de mi se emocionó al ser alzada hacia el arca mientras que otra parte se encogió por el cobarde temor al fuego, y al humo abrazador que me esperaba aquí...

it's a matter of time before I gulp the shadows of discord-- too many strangers knocking at the door

the wound closed as I moved out of my tribe— standing  on the edge of the world  my legs chant mantras

the glimmer of a dragonfly's  dainty wings-- mornings  were never mine, Mother

grief-eaters interrupt my sleep-- resting on the bed my legs begin to shake

Draga (Drag Queen) Es otra piel, otro modo de estar en el silencio. Es una caricatura de tu epidermis matriarcal abanicando los deseos del patriarca. Es la voz de una sirena   marcada por la temporalidad. Soy yo vestida de ángel, de diosa hollywoodense divina. Eres tú, mi terruño estrellado sin luna.

your skin,  a holy grail  I need to find--  nightfall  and I'm on my knees

if only the pain  would subside—  nothing really recovers  when storms come  there’s no near or far

our voices  didn’t matter  we spoke  from within,  letting loose our balloons

I wander through the halls of perdition weary to finding my place… cherry blossoms 

here's to you-- one way to leave my lover waiting. .. large iridescent wings exploring the landscape I had open heart surgery.  I have been out of the hospital since April 6.  I must admit it is very painful.

a darkness  seeps through my veins  unaccompanied  in this needy hour  my words flutter like candles 

Naw-Ruz in a perfect garden—  songs  so great I cannot weep words so swift I can fly

I want  to be a voyager in your heart put my soul back  in your hands

heavenly rains inundate my tongue recalling my childhood I open my arms to love

a hidden sun rises  like a pillar of fire  inside me ...  on the brink of sleep  the heat of love

Where are you now The last time I saw him was just a few days before he passed away. We hugged each other like we had once before. He had the scent of lilies and white roses . I know what it feels like, swimming through the stars when I see him, and I don’t need the air because I breathe him.* undressing him in the muted evenings of my golden years I can't remember his name... love, gone like that

spring, keep me away from funerals wash Frida Kahlo's hair come out smelling like irises taste the moon in Lorca's eyes