Poem
Jotamario Arbeláez
SANTA LIBRADA COLLEGE
labyrinth
in your pool
I bathed naked
like an angel
I evaded the watchfulness
of the watchman
I jumped over the railing
I played billiards in the corner
of the tavern
I went to the movies in the Alameda
I strolled in the corridors
like the ambassador of abyssinia
in abyssinia
even though I was not
dumb
I never got beyond 3.1416
in geometry
with classmates
as different
as equilateral
triangles
we cheated in exams
isoscelely
or scalenely
in the national holidays
we paraded in white
uniforms
I did not carry the flag
because my hair was untidy
and I was in platoon number 12
eagle eye the librarian
watched over the books
afraid
of my razor blade on the naked pictures
cutting out the hernia
of aphrodite
or making fun of the mahabarata
in the philosophy class
I devoted myself to chess
and in a lucky
move
I made double checkmate
with a horse
to the king
and to parmenides
the vice-rector
inspected
the classrooms
the vice-rector
inflexibly took note
of irregularities
the vice-rector
was the rector
twice over
the chemistry teacher
drank black coffee
from a crucible
he read the news
in the periodicals
and afterwards talked to us about cadmium hydroxide
Cd (OH)2
about the drunk electron
about the ones who did not go to mass
on sunday
about the disappearance of an erlenmeyer flask
about the ultramicroscope
about the school report
and about some elements
yet to be discovered
the drawing teacher
explained the perspectives
of art
with his palette
he opened all doors
to the imagination
including the front
doors
in the toilets
next to other bourgeois
phrases
I read the first revolutionary
graffiti
“down with the state of siege”
“open lectures or death”
“we don’t want to go to the barracks”
“the ones in room B are homosexuals”
and as if we didn’t have enough
“more books fewer guns”
le professeur de français
parlait de brigitte bardot
et de la guerre dans sa patrie
(voici l’opportunité
de lui dire
merde)
the history teacher
with his map of america
figure
sincerely
explained to us
that there was no roman decadence
but rather a devaluation
of the sesterce
biology class
the teacher doesn’t find the formula
in the lab or in the book
the teacher tests in a tube
the effervescence of life
the teacher waits for the result
of his experiments
the urbanity teacher
arrived punctually
neatly
did not smoke
or cough
or shouted
he absconded
the dentist pulled out our teeth
and let
fall on our groin
bits of cotton that he picked up
sinfully
the geography teacher
bechuanaland capital mafeking
inlet of utría
first oil producer
father lebret’s report
up to page forty
he was killed by an absentminded taxi driver
in cali-colombia
we never saw him again
the music teacher (a lady)
gave the discordant
pedagogic note
she let us sleep in her concerts
showing us her thighs quaver to quaver
flat sostenuto
fa
mi
re
do
the teacher of religion
exhorted us
to repent
he told us proofs
of the existence of god
he listened to my objections
with crucifix despondency
and the bell
used to save
him and god
the teacher of the bolivarian
course
came wrapped in his cheap suit as in the cloak
of iris
he resigned from his post
when be became convinced that we mistrusted
his altruism
the accounting teacher
is a small seat
in my memory
the physician examined our
testicles
asked about our rotten
teeth
interviewed our hearts
with a stethoscope
and prescribed us laxatives
every three months
in the recess
we threw fruit at each other
seeds
pieces of brown sugar loaf
with murderous intention
we threw biology
books
chemistry notebooks
against the walls
to see if they exploded
we burnt the calendars
because we liked summer
we stained our hands with ink
to shake others\' hands
we hit the scrotums
of the nerds
some seniors smoked
pot
hiding in the museum
the nurse
gave first aid
to the guys who got injured
playing soccer or crashed
against the barbed wire fence
of the church
the watchmen and the teachers
drank black coffee
while people stole bicycles
the statue of the hero
francisco de paula santander
in the main courtyard
used to be
a baseball base
during the end of term
ceremony
diplomas were given
to the seniors
there were speeches
mass
laughter
glasses of wine
pipes and fine cigarette smoke
prizes for merit
for attendance
for constancy
for faith
for hope
alvarado luis carlos (applause)
acevedo argemiro (applause)
aragón luis alfonso (applause)
arbeláez jota mario (suspended)
santa librada “college”
theistic not atheistic
twelve hundred students
lightning rod
seventy two classrooms
record collection
national prestige
fifty-five
competent teachers
secretary
santa librada
college
I owe you
nothing
© Translation: 2006, Nicolás Suescún
(Cali, January 1960)
SANTA LIBRADA COLLEGE
SANTA LIBRADA COLLEGE
laberinto
en tu piscina
me bañé desnudo
como un ángel
burlé la vigilancia
del vigilante
salté la verja
jugué billar en la cantina
de la esquina
asistí a cine al Alameda
me paseé por tus corredores
como el embajador de abisinia
por abisinia
a pesar de que no era
bruto
nunca pasé en geometría
del 3, 14 16
con compañeros
diferentes
como triángulos
semejantes
hicimos fraude en los exámenes
isócel
o ecalenamente
en las fiestas patrias
salíamos uniformados
de blanco
y yo no portaba la bandera
porque estaba mal peinado
y pertenecía al escuadrón número 12
ojo de águila el bibliotecario
vigilaba los libros
temeroso
de mi cuchilla sobre los desnudos
recortando la hernia
de afrodita
o me burlara del mahabarata
en clases de filosofía
me dedicaba al ajedrez
y en un lance
afortunado
le di jaque doble
con el caballo
al rey
y a parménides
el vicerrector
hacía la ronda
por los salones
el vicerrector
apuntaba inflexible
las irregularidades
el vicerrector
era el rector
dos veces
el profesor de química
tomaba tinto
en un crisol
leía sus noticias
en la tabla periódica
después nos hablaba del hidróxido de cadmio
Cd(OH)2
del electrón borracho
de los que no asistieron a misa
el domingo
de la desaparición de un erlenmeyer
del ultramicroscopio
del cuaderno de notas
y de algunos elementos
por descubrir
el profesor de dibujo
con su paleta
nos explicaba las perspectivas
del arte
nos abría todas las puertas
inclusive las puertas
de la calle
en el interior de los sanitarios
al lado de otras frases
burguesas
leí las primeras protestas
revolucionarias
“abajo el estado sitio”
“cátedra libre o muerte”
“no queremos ir al cuartel”
“los del cuarto B son homosexuales”
y como si no tuviéramos bastantes
“más libros menos armas”
le professeur de français
parlait de brigitte bardot
et de la guerre dans sa patrie
(voici l’opportunité
de lui dire
merde)
el profesor de historia
con su figura de mapa
de américa
nos explicaba
sinceramente
que no hubo decadencia romana
sino más bien una desvalorización
del sestercio
clase de biología
el profesor no encuentra la fórmula
en el laboratorio ni el libro
el profesor ensaya en un tubo
la efervescencia de la vida
el profesor espera el resultado
el profesor de urbanidad
llegaba puntualmente
pulcramente
no fumaba
no tosía
ni gritaba
se iba
el dentista nos sacaba las muelas
y dejaba
caernos en la ingle
trocitos de algodón que él recogía
pecaminosament
el profesor de geografía
bechuanalandia capital mafeking
ensenada de utría
primer productor de petróleo
informe del padre lebret
hasta la página cuarenta
lo mató un taxi distraído
en cali-colombia
no lo volvimos a ver más
el profesor de música (una dama)
daba la mala nota
pedagógica
nos daba de dormir en sus conciertos
mostrándonos los muslos fusa a fusa
sostenido en bemol
fa
mi
re
do
el profesor de religión
nos exhortaba
al arrepentimiento
nos hacía pruebas sobre
la existencia de dios
escuchaba mis objeciones
con abatimiento de crucifijo
y a él y a dios
los salvaba
la campana
el profesor de cátedra
bolivariana
venía
envuelto en su “everfit” como en el manto
de iris
se separó del cargo
cuando se persuadió de que desconfiábamos
de su desprendimiento
el profesor de contabilidad
es un pequeño asiento
en mi memoria
el médico nos examinaba
los testículos
nos preguntaba por las muelas
podridas
nos entrevistaba el corazón
con el estetoscopio
y nos recetaba un purgante
cada tres meses
en el recreo
nos tirábamos pepas
de frutas
pedazos de panela
con ganas de matar
lanzábamos los libros
de biología
los cuadernos de química
contra las paredes
para ver si explotaban
quemábamos los almanaques
nos entintábamos las manos
de saludar
golpeábamos el escroto
de los estudiosos
algunos de sexto fumaban
marihuana
escondidos en el museo
la enfermera
prestaba los primeros
auxilios
a los que se lesionaban
jugando fútbol
contra las alambradas
de la iglesia
los vigilantes o los profesores
tomaban tinto mientras
se robaban las bicicletas
francisco de paula santander
en el patio mayor
era entonces
una base de béisbol
durante las sesiones
de clausura
se entregan los diplomas a los inscritos
en sexto
había discursos
misa
risa
copas de vino
humo de pipa y cigarrillo fino
premios al mérito
a la asistencia
a la constancia
a la fe
a la esperanza
alvarado luis carlos (aplausos)
acevedo argemiro (aplausos)
aragón luis alfonso (aplausos)
arbeláez jota mario (aplazado)
santa librada college
tea no atea
mildoscientos alumnos
pararrayos
setenta y dos salones
discoteca
prestigio nacional
cincuenta y cinco
profesores idóneos
secretario
santa librada
college
yo no te debo
nada
© 1995, Jota Mario Arbeláez
From: La casa de memoria
Publisher: Ministerio de Cultura, Bogota
From: La casa de memoria
Publisher: Ministerio de Cultura, Bogota
(Cali, enero 1960)
Poems
Poems of Jotamario Arbeláez
Close
SANTA LIBRADA COLLEGE
labyrinth
in your pool
I bathed naked
like an angel
I evaded the watchfulness
of the watchman
I jumped over the railing
I played billiards in the corner
of the tavern
I went to the movies in the Alameda
I strolled in the corridors
like the ambassador of abyssinia
in abyssinia
even though I was not
dumb
I never got beyond 3.1416
in geometry
with classmates
as different
as equilateral
triangles
we cheated in exams
isoscelely
or scalenely
in the national holidays
we paraded in white
uniforms
I did not carry the flag
because my hair was untidy
and I was in platoon number 12
eagle eye the librarian
watched over the books
afraid
of my razor blade on the naked pictures
cutting out the hernia
of aphrodite
or making fun of the mahabarata
in the philosophy class
I devoted myself to chess
and in a lucky
move
I made double checkmate
with a horse
to the king
and to parmenides
the vice-rector
inspected
the classrooms
the vice-rector
inflexibly took note
of irregularities
the vice-rector
was the rector
twice over
the chemistry teacher
drank black coffee
from a crucible
he read the news
in the periodicals
and afterwards talked to us about cadmium hydroxide
Cd (OH)2
about the drunk electron
about the ones who did not go to mass
on sunday
about the disappearance of an erlenmeyer flask
about the ultramicroscope
about the school report
and about some elements
yet to be discovered
the drawing teacher
explained the perspectives
of art
with his palette
he opened all doors
to the imagination
including the front
doors
in the toilets
next to other bourgeois
phrases
I read the first revolutionary
graffiti
“down with the state of siege”
“open lectures or death”
“we don’t want to go to the barracks”
“the ones in room B are homosexuals”
and as if we didn’t have enough
“more books fewer guns”
le professeur de français
parlait de brigitte bardot
et de la guerre dans sa patrie
(voici l’opportunité
de lui dire
merde)
the history teacher
with his map of america
figure
sincerely
explained to us
that there was no roman decadence
but rather a devaluation
of the sesterce
biology class
the teacher doesn’t find the formula
in the lab or in the book
the teacher tests in a tube
the effervescence of life
the teacher waits for the result
of his experiments
the urbanity teacher
arrived punctually
neatly
did not smoke
or cough
or shouted
he absconded
the dentist pulled out our teeth
and let
fall on our groin
bits of cotton that he picked up
sinfully
the geography teacher
bechuanaland capital mafeking
inlet of utría
first oil producer
father lebret’s report
up to page forty
he was killed by an absentminded taxi driver
in cali-colombia
we never saw him again
the music teacher (a lady)
gave the discordant
pedagogic note
she let us sleep in her concerts
showing us her thighs quaver to quaver
flat sostenuto
fa
mi
re
do
the teacher of religion
exhorted us
to repent
he told us proofs
of the existence of god
he listened to my objections
with crucifix despondency
and the bell
used to save
him and god
the teacher of the bolivarian
course
came wrapped in his cheap suit as in the cloak
of iris
he resigned from his post
when be became convinced that we mistrusted
his altruism
the accounting teacher
is a small seat
in my memory
the physician examined our
testicles
asked about our rotten
teeth
interviewed our hearts
with a stethoscope
and prescribed us laxatives
every three months
in the recess
we threw fruit at each other
seeds
pieces of brown sugar loaf
with murderous intention
we threw biology
books
chemistry notebooks
against the walls
to see if they exploded
we burnt the calendars
because we liked summer
we stained our hands with ink
to shake others\' hands
we hit the scrotums
of the nerds
some seniors smoked
pot
hiding in the museum
the nurse
gave first aid
to the guys who got injured
playing soccer or crashed
against the barbed wire fence
of the church
the watchmen and the teachers
drank black coffee
while people stole bicycles
the statue of the hero
francisco de paula santander
in the main courtyard
used to be
a baseball base
during the end of term
ceremony
diplomas were given
to the seniors
there were speeches
mass
laughter
glasses of wine
pipes and fine cigarette smoke
prizes for merit
for attendance
for constancy
for faith
for hope
alvarado luis carlos (applause)
acevedo argemiro (applause)
aragón luis alfonso (applause)
arbeláez jota mario (suspended)
santa librada “college”
theistic not atheistic
twelve hundred students
lightning rod
seventy two classrooms
record collection
national prestige
fifty-five
competent teachers
secretary
santa librada
college
I owe you
nothing
© 2006, Nicolás Suescún
From: La casa de memoria
From: La casa de memoria
(Cali, January 1960)
SANTA LIBRADA COLLEGE
labyrinth
in your pool
I bathed naked
like an angel
I evaded the watchfulness
of the watchman
I jumped over the railing
I played billiards in the corner
of the tavern
I went to the movies in the Alameda
I strolled in the corridors
like the ambassador of abyssinia
in abyssinia
even though I was not
dumb
I never got beyond 3.1416
in geometry
with classmates
as different
as equilateral
triangles
we cheated in exams
isoscelely
or scalenely
in the national holidays
we paraded in white
uniforms
I did not carry the flag
because my hair was untidy
and I was in platoon number 12
eagle eye the librarian
watched over the books
afraid
of my razor blade on the naked pictures
cutting out the hernia
of aphrodite
or making fun of the mahabarata
in the philosophy class
I devoted myself to chess
and in a lucky
move
I made double checkmate
with a horse
to the king
and to parmenides
the vice-rector
inspected
the classrooms
the vice-rector
inflexibly took note
of irregularities
the vice-rector
was the rector
twice over
the chemistry teacher
drank black coffee
from a crucible
he read the news
in the periodicals
and afterwards talked to us about cadmium hydroxide
Cd (OH)2
about the drunk electron
about the ones who did not go to mass
on sunday
about the disappearance of an erlenmeyer flask
about the ultramicroscope
about the school report
and about some elements
yet to be discovered
the drawing teacher
explained the perspectives
of art
with his palette
he opened all doors
to the imagination
including the front
doors
in the toilets
next to other bourgeois
phrases
I read the first revolutionary
graffiti
“down with the state of siege”
“open lectures or death”
“we don’t want to go to the barracks”
“the ones in room B are homosexuals”
and as if we didn’t have enough
“more books fewer guns”
le professeur de français
parlait de brigitte bardot
et de la guerre dans sa patrie
(voici l’opportunité
de lui dire
merde)
the history teacher
with his map of america
figure
sincerely
explained to us
that there was no roman decadence
but rather a devaluation
of the sesterce
biology class
the teacher doesn’t find the formula
in the lab or in the book
the teacher tests in a tube
the effervescence of life
the teacher waits for the result
of his experiments
the urbanity teacher
arrived punctually
neatly
did not smoke
or cough
or shouted
he absconded
the dentist pulled out our teeth
and let
fall on our groin
bits of cotton that he picked up
sinfully
the geography teacher
bechuanaland capital mafeking
inlet of utría
first oil producer
father lebret’s report
up to page forty
he was killed by an absentminded taxi driver
in cali-colombia
we never saw him again
the music teacher (a lady)
gave the discordant
pedagogic note
she let us sleep in her concerts
showing us her thighs quaver to quaver
flat sostenuto
fa
mi
re
do
the teacher of religion
exhorted us
to repent
he told us proofs
of the existence of god
he listened to my objections
with crucifix despondency
and the bell
used to save
him and god
the teacher of the bolivarian
course
came wrapped in his cheap suit as in the cloak
of iris
he resigned from his post
when be became convinced that we mistrusted
his altruism
the accounting teacher
is a small seat
in my memory
the physician examined our
testicles
asked about our rotten
teeth
interviewed our hearts
with a stethoscope
and prescribed us laxatives
every three months
in the recess
we threw fruit at each other
seeds
pieces of brown sugar loaf
with murderous intention
we threw biology
books
chemistry notebooks
against the walls
to see if they exploded
we burnt the calendars
because we liked summer
we stained our hands with ink
to shake others\' hands
we hit the scrotums
of the nerds
some seniors smoked
pot
hiding in the museum
the nurse
gave first aid
to the guys who got injured
playing soccer or crashed
against the barbed wire fence
of the church
the watchmen and the teachers
drank black coffee
while people stole bicycles
the statue of the hero
francisco de paula santander
in the main courtyard
used to be
a baseball base
during the end of term
ceremony
diplomas were given
to the seniors
there were speeches
mass
laughter
glasses of wine
pipes and fine cigarette smoke
prizes for merit
for attendance
for constancy
for faith
for hope
alvarado luis carlos (applause)
acevedo argemiro (applause)
aragón luis alfonso (applause)
arbeláez jota mario (suspended)
santa librada “college”
theistic not atheistic
twelve hundred students
lightning rod
seventy two classrooms
record collection
national prestige
fifty-five
competent teachers
secretary
santa librada
college
I owe you
nothing
© 2006, Nicolás Suescún
(Cali, January 1960)
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