Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Gabriel Jaime Franco

THE MEMORABLE EARTH (FRAGMENT VIII)

I am this man.

Or that one. Yes: I is another. I am a Chinaman, a Canary Islander, an Irishman.

I is another. Anyone. Even the face is the same, if you think hard about it.

Mine is the fear of a man. Of any man. I have put on his pyjamas, tonight. I shall put on
his wife.  

Fear of oneself. Of being this or that. Of being swept along by the waters. Of not being
swept along and of having time then for myself and for looking at myself in the mirror.

I am a Chinese, a Canary Islander, an Irishman. And I am afraid.
Maybe the mirror will shatter when I stop.

I will cross the vision of the miracle of the living like a small star getting near a
black hole:

I shall be a Chinese, a Canary Islander or an Irishman
under the memorable earth.

La tierra memorable (fragmento VIII)

La tierra memorable (fragmento VIII)

Soy este hombre.

O aquel. Sí: yo es otro. Soy un chino, un canario, un irlandés.

Yo es otro. Cualquiera. Hasta el rostro es el mismo, si se mira bien.

Es mío el miedo de un hombre. Cualquiera. Me he puesto su pijama, esta noche. Me pondré
su mujer.

Miedo de sí. De ser esto o lo otro. De ser arrastrado por las aguas. De no ser arrastrado y
tener entonces tiempo para  mí y mirarme en mi espejo.

Soy un chino, un canario, un irlandés. Y tengo miedo.
Quizás trice el espejo cuando me detenga.

Cruzaré por la visión del milagro de lo vivo como un pequeño astro que se acerca a un
hueco negro:

seré un chino, un canario o un irlandés
bajo la tierra memorable.
Close

THE MEMORABLE EARTH (FRAGMENT VIII)

I am this man.

Or that one. Yes: I is another. I am a Chinaman, a Canary Islander, an Irishman.

I is another. Anyone. Even the face is the same, if you think hard about it.

Mine is the fear of a man. Of any man. I have put on his pyjamas, tonight. I shall put on
his wife.  

Fear of oneself. Of being this or that. Of being swept along by the waters. Of not being
swept along and of having time then for myself and for looking at myself in the mirror.

I am a Chinese, a Canary Islander, an Irishman. And I am afraid.
Maybe the mirror will shatter when I stop.

I will cross the vision of the miracle of the living like a small star getting near a
black hole:

I shall be a Chinese, a Canary Islander or an Irishman
under the memorable earth.

THE MEMORABLE EARTH (FRAGMENT VIII)

I am this man.

Or that one. Yes: I is another. I am a Chinaman, a Canary Islander, an Irishman.

I is another. Anyone. Even the face is the same, if you think hard about it.

Mine is the fear of a man. Of any man. I have put on his pyjamas, tonight. I shall put on
his wife.  

Fear of oneself. Of being this or that. Of being swept along by the waters. Of not being
swept along and of having time then for myself and for looking at myself in the mirror.

I am a Chinese, a Canary Islander, an Irishman. And I am afraid.
Maybe the mirror will shatter when I stop.

I will cross the vision of the miracle of the living like a small star getting near a
black hole:

I shall be a Chinese, a Canary Islander or an Irishman
under the memorable earth.
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