J U L I E T T E

"Y entonces descubrí sus ojos, su cara. Un rostro inexpresivo, sin otro rasgo que los ojos, dos orificios como cabezas de alfiler, enteramente de un oro transparente, carentes de toda vida pero mirando, dejándose penetrar por mi mirada que parecía pasar a través del punto áureo y perderse en un diáfano misterio interior"

the object precedes the word
el objeto precede la palabra

el árbol que adueña

A mother gives birth to a small child, a girl. With her index and middle finger, she would trace the tiny curve of her baby’s nose, a soft brush against her skin, so delicate the girl would fall asleep. It was then that the mother, with those same two fingers, would apply more pressure, the swift movement replaced with a slight push downwards. She would do this every night, while she sang her daughter songs from the Basque Country, about sailboats and serene oceans. This girl grew bigger, and so did her nose, from an incline to a hill, from a curve into an arch. Without her noticing, she would use those fingers as well, tapping and sliding them across that nose gifted by her mother.

"Axólotl" Julio Cortázar (1964)

the hotel room in cancún with white sheets white pillows a little wet but nearly
where us foreigners are foolish between suns and stars of hard drinks yet i
stay mostly in our balcony feeding off the noises similar to a first home
although mother told me not to while drunk, mosca! ten cuidado since
on her turn she did see a girl who fell and died once in margarita
but the sky so purple heat so sweet palms of trees against the wind
compose the perfect scene for double-foreign me, absorbs so much i do not care
for damp sandals damp shorts and towels one with that raspberry candy flavor
we had to clean after fide broke our pink bottle nobody got cuts i swear
towels are still wet when brightness overtakes just before stone ruins rise
but mica knows unable to un-collect truths as if they were precious jewels
in the lobby of night nonsense i look into my black mirror to get embellished with
golden minerals sparkly eyelids brown eyes look back at me hair frizzy already
i hold his arm so warm for help we put each other’s neon bracelets little too tight
then its us seeing each other under green red blue pink flashing lights we both
smile unknowingly nothing else happens just glances and warm shoulder brushes
only on the way back the early empty bus i realize my voice my words
were there the whole time i sleep on the floor no keys head rests on my shoes
til maría finds me leads me to room doscuatrosietesiete i wait for my bed my people
sleep sticky with coconut sunblock some fruity drink moves me into blackout
skin still burning no thinking no feeling no yesterday found between hours of clouds

Sept. 9th 2018