SECTION ELEVEN
POETRY PAGE TWO

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COLUMN FIFTY-SIX, FEBRUARY 1, 2001
(Copyright © 2001 Al Aronowitz)

(PHOTO BY JORGE ALVAREZ)

[From Colombia's celebrated poet, Raúl Henao of Medellin, here's another poem in Spanish, accompanied by its English translation, both from Raúl's La vida a la carta or Life a la carte.]

MITAD DE LA VIDA

Parecía tener treinta años  

Me paraba en una esquina y vomitaba cantidades
de arena, pañuelos bordados, relojes de bolsillo
y monedas antiguas

que los coleccionistas se apresuraban a recoger
con la cola entre las piernas y el hocico húmedo.

Pasados algunos días me volvía al revés como un
guante intentando ocultar mis pares de dedos.

Aquella mañana no lograba desprenderme de la
sábana que se hacía aguas sobre la cama. 

Es una broma de malgusto estaba cansado de repetirme
pero veía a las personas dobles  ##

* * *

MID-LIFE

It seemed I was thirty years old 

I stopped at a corner and vomited heaps
of sand, embroidered handkerchiefs, pocket
watches and old coins

that the collectors rushed to snatch up
with their tails between their legs and their clammy snouts.

A few days later I turned inside out like a glove
trying to hide my pairs of fingers.

That morning I couldn't manage to disentangle myself
from the sheet that was leaking on the bed.

This is a bad joke I was tired of repeating myself
but I was seeing people in doubles  ##  

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