Before the Scales, Tomorrow, Otto Rene Castillo, Guatemala
And when the enthusiastic
story of our time
is told,
who are yet to be born
but announce themselves
with more generous face,
we will come out ahead
–those who have suffered most from it.
And that
being ahead of your time
means much suffering from it.
But it’s beautiful to love the world
with eyes
that have not yet
been born.
And splendid
to know yourself victorious
when all around you
it’s all still so cold,
so dark.
FRENTE AL BALANCE, MAÑANA
Y cuando se haga
el entusiasta recuento
de nuestro tiempo,
por los que todavía
no han nacido,
pero que se anuncian
con su rostro
más bondadoso,
saldremos gananciosos
los que más hemos
sufrido de él.
Y es que adelantarse
uno a su tiempo,
es sufrir mucho de él.
Pero es bello amar al mundo
con los ojos
de los que no han nacido
todavía.
Y espléndido,
saberse ya un victorioso,
cuando todo en torno a uno
es aún tan frío, tan oscuro.
The Critical Attitude, Bertolt Brecht, Germany
The critical attitude
Strikes many people as unfruitful
That is because they find the state
Impervious to their criticism
But what in this case is an unfruitful attitude
Is merely a feeble attitude. Give criticism arms
And states can be demolished by it.
Canalising a river
Grafting a fruit tree
Educating a person
Transforming a state
These are instances of fruitful criticism
And at the same time instances of art.
What They Did Yesterday Afternoon, Warsan Shire, Somalia/England
they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who use to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?
i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.
later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.
