PUSHCART NOMINATION
Brief Love (Below), Print, In the Silence of This Room, November 1st, 2009 (St. Paul: Grey Sparrow Press) and Online, Grey Sparrow Journal Issue 3, Winter 2009-2010.
BRIEF LOVE
by Raquel Challfi [Translator Tsipi Keller]
Slices slices silence has cut
through us
He took me from the noise
and time became a summer of grace
between killings
and I reached my hand and he came like a rain of grace
and on Mount Zion the darkness was thick
and the little light in the churchyard was frail frail
and I reached my hand and he fell into me in despair despair
and later he led me by the hand
like the sighted leads the blind
and we saw so much so much
it was possible to touch the roots of things
and we saw until our eyes refused to retain
two beautiful weeks
between wars
do you know what it means two full innocent weeks
between death and death
you can’t ask for more than that and if we were to ask
it would have had a measure of arrogance
It was such a cruel beauty
And such a silence
on the altar
HAIR OF NIGHT
1.
To weave the locks of darkness
a thick braid on the downy nape
of the earth
to mold with moist hands
the clay of dark craving
trees knitted from trembling
coiled branches of allegiance
and a broad meadow
waiting in vain
2.
Night combs its long hair like a woman
sitting at her window at night
3.
Night hungry runs barefoot through the streets
weeds spread rumors about it
4.
Night begets day what will day bring
night its dreams undone
breaks into the heart of a city
rips a street into bands
how I wish to dye the night's hair
a startling orange
5.
How we wished a blaze will spread in the twigs twigs as blaze
sweep the trail of excess words
leave a clear polished dance floor for thick dense emotions
spin into dance, into a giant ball
6.
How I wished the great night's hair
would wrap around me like snakes but warm
7.
Such a truth and even the down of dusk
stiffens
the mind's shutters get knocked violently
a blow of darkness
rescues a night
whose hairs got all tangled up
8.
Dreams the heart's sweat
on a night's taut skin
its hair gathered
its temples damp
the secretions of dreams dribble from it
drip
drop
cool
salty
9.
Such an old night
its chimes still clear
we crawl on its belly
and it welcomes us inside
like a mad satyr who's fallen asleep
blissfully