Sunday, January 16, 2011

The poems I sold in Patzcuaro

A quick interruption from the chronicles of the first part of my trip to share with you a couple of the poems I sold in Patzcuaro (By the way, I am not still stuck in Patzcuaro, but am now in the sprawling, throbbing, smoggy metropolis of Mexico City.  More to come on Mexico City later).


What does an English major who is broke in a foreign country try to do to make money?  Try to sell poems, of course, which everyone knows is one of the most lucrative industries in today´s global market:

Te Espero
Te espero
como una semilla
en tierra seca
lleno de vida
esperando la lluvia.

Te espero
como un pájaro
después de un vuelo largo
encima de la llave
esperando gotas dulces.

Te espero
como un hombre en la noche
sin hogar
con su cara al éste
esperando el sol.

Aunque la lluvia no venga,
las gotas no caigan
y el sol no salga,
aquí estaré, te esperaré.
 



I Wait for You
I wait for you
like a seed
in dry soil
full of life
waiting for rain.

I wait for you
like a bird
after a long flight
perched on the faucet
waiting for sweet drops.

I wait for you
like a man in the night
without a home
facing east
waiting for the sun.

But should the rain not come,
the drops not fall,
and the sun not rise,
I will be here, I will wait for you.



Abuelita
Abuelita, abuelita,
bonita y chiquita,
no hay nadie como tu
bonita abuelita.

Tus abrazos son regalos
trayéndome amor,
tus ojos son brillantes
como cada vivida flor.

Abuelita, abuelita,
bonita y chiquita,
no hay nadie como tu
bonita abuelita.

Has vivido muchos años
y sabes más que yo sé
pero tú me escuchaste
cuando yo lloré.

Abuelita, abuelita,
bonita y chiquita,
no hay nadie como tu
bonita abuelita.


Sweet Little Gramma
Sweet little Gramma
slight and pretty,
there is no one like you
pretty little Gramma.

Your hugs are gifts
bringing me love,
your eyes are brilliant
like each colorful flower.

You´ve lived many years
and know more than me
but you still listened to me
when I cried.

Sweet little Gramma
slight and pretty,
there is no one like you
pretty little Gramma.

Yep, they're sappy.  But sap is what sold, and I was pretty hungry... 

3 comments:

  1. But they're not bad sappy, so that's a plus.
    Nicely done.

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  2. Ohhhhh, que bonito!!!!!!!!!!!! Ganaste dinero por estos? No lo sé, pero me gusto muuuuuuucho!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks bro. i'll use these for karissa on valentine's day. well, i take that back - i won't use the grandma one. although i guess that could be cute in a 'let's grow old together way' or something.

    ReplyDelete