Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Fernando Rendón

Zoo

                    The beast is the cage



The future comes to us like a caterpillar       joy is not eager
The past is a dormouse that snores with few beautiful dreams
Hope is a white phoenix
And my eagerness is a scarlet gazelle hunted down by the king’s
   greyhounds

This zoo is a city of cages       in     each      door    padlocks     and
rusty locks          in every window bars and eyes

In the corners apes that deny being related to Darwin     night
panthers with fire eyes   crocodiles   that    cry  as if
regretting falling in love     boas  with  the appetite of bishops and bankers
     macaws with the colors of poetry       hyenas that laugh reluctantly
before the tarnished day
lions that lose their dignity and their mane    hieroglyphical tigers
men looking into their eyes into the infinite eyes of the animals
and many jailers chained to their irons

When you grow up help us open all the cages.

                    To the children

Zoo

Zoo

                    La fiera es la jaula



El futuro nos llega como oruga    no guarda afán el júbilo
El pasado es un lirón que ronca con pocos sueños hermosos
La esperanza es un blanco fénix
Y mi afán es una gacela escarlata perseguida por los galgos del rey

Este zoo es una ciudad de jaulas    en cada puerta candados y herrumbrosas cerraduras
    en cada ventana barrotes y ojos

En los rincones simios que niegan ser parientes de Darwin    panteras nocturnas con ojos
de incendio    cocodrilos que lloran como arrepentidos del amor          boas con apetito
de obispos y banqueros    guacamayos con los colores de la poesía         hienas que
ríen sin ganas ante el día deslustrado
leones que pierden la dignidad y la melena       tigres jeroglíficos       
hombres asomados a sus ojos en los ojos infinitos de los animales
y muchos carceleros encadenados a sus hierros

Cuando crezcáis ayudadnos a abrir todas las jaulas.


                    A los niños
Close

Zoo

                    The beast is the cage



The future comes to us like a caterpillar       joy is not eager
The past is a dormouse that snores with few beautiful dreams
Hope is a white phoenix
And my eagerness is a scarlet gazelle hunted down by the king’s
   greyhounds

This zoo is a city of cages       in     each      door    padlocks     and
rusty locks          in every window bars and eyes

In the corners apes that deny being related to Darwin     night
panthers with fire eyes   crocodiles   that    cry  as if
regretting falling in love     boas  with  the appetite of bishops and bankers
     macaws with the colors of poetry       hyenas that laugh reluctantly
before the tarnished day
lions that lose their dignity and their mane    hieroglyphical tigers
men looking into their eyes into the infinite eyes of the animals
and many jailers chained to their irons

When you grow up help us open all the cages.

                    To the children

Zoo

                    The beast is the cage



The future comes to us like a caterpillar       joy is not eager
The past is a dormouse that snores with few beautiful dreams
Hope is a white phoenix
And my eagerness is a scarlet gazelle hunted down by the king’s
   greyhounds

This zoo is a city of cages       in     each      door    padlocks     and
rusty locks          in every window bars and eyes

In the corners apes that deny being related to Darwin     night
panthers with fire eyes   crocodiles   that    cry  as if
regretting falling in love     boas  with  the appetite of bishops and bankers
     macaws with the colors of poetry       hyenas that laugh reluctantly
before the tarnished day
lions that lose their dignity and their mane    hieroglyphical tigers
men looking into their eyes into the infinite eyes of the animals
and many jailers chained to their irons

When you grow up help us open all the cages.

                    To the children
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère