THREE POEMS

Gardel and I

never
did he shout freckle-faced because
I didn’t have
not even
one
freckle

kind
and with that
lack of imagination
he said to the camera
“I love you marylin”

but
in those days
my name was maría
just maría



To See II

from the mirror
to her body
the eyes fall like sleeping
fruit
in her cradle of blood they will not see
where she throws the stone
or when it will penetrate her image
or who
(please –who)
calls her from the depth of a hole



Long Tall Sally

ash feline
in the swaying skin
of disheveled lips
her buttocks
moan
in the makeup
bittersweet breasts
she messes up her sorrow
a thousand pieces
in front of the mirror
liz
the redhead will rock and roll
some dress of glazed paper
and her eyelashes of hairy sex
that woman about
to fly

María del Carmen Colombo

(translated from the Spanish by Esteban Moore)