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Poetry

[the nail fell]

By Victoria Estol
Translated from Spanish by Seth Michelson

the nail fell, making the floor shriek
i aim to fix the hole by filling it with paper
wad it up a little and stuff it in
it can’t fail
i push it in deeper
it falls through, into a void
i try again but with bigger paper
it falls through

i write tiny poems and toss them into the new mailbox on my wall
i explain the lack of plaster to whomever might see it:

children who fall from bed
latent madness
the freedom of abandonment

                                                                        a stranger among my own
                                                                       
 its odd
                                                                        
i follow the rabbit like Alice
                                                                       
 its good

i pedal without a path
attuned to the possibilities of the moment

                                                                        lying still in wait
                                                             
           i hunt

“[cayó el clavo]” © Victoria Estol. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2014 by Seth Michelson. All rights reserved.

English Spanish (Original)

the nail fell, making the floor shriek
i aim to fix the hole by filling it with paper
wad it up a little and stuff it in
it can’t fail
i push it in deeper
it falls through, into a void
i try again but with bigger paper
it falls through

i write tiny poems and toss them into the new mailbox on my wall
i explain the lack of plaster to whomever might see it:

children who fall from bed
latent madness
the freedom of abandonment

                                                                        a stranger among my own
                                                                       
 its odd
                                                                        
i follow the rabbit like Alice
                                                                       
 its good

i pedal without a path
attuned to the possibilities of the moment

                                                                        lying still in wait
                                                             
           i hunt

“[cayó el clavo]” © Victoria Estol. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2014 by Seth Michelson. All rights reserved.

[cayó el clavo]

cayó el clavo haciendo chillar el piso

intento volverlo a su lugar rellenando el agujero con papel
hago un rollito y lo pongo en el medio para que calce justo
no puede fallar
lo empujo hasta que haga tope
cae al vacío
hago lo mismo con otro papel más grande
cae

escribo poemas minúsculos y los tiro al nuevo buzón de mi pared
a quien sea que este ahí quiero explicarle mi falta de revoque:

niños que caen de la cama
locuras latentes
la libertad del abandono

extranjera con los míos
es raro
sigo al conejo como Alicia
es bueno

pedaleo sin rumbo
atenta a las posibilidades del momento

inamovible en el acecho
cazo

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