Yrene Santos [Dominican Republic / USA]

 

The Untiring Game
 
Two o’clock
three o’clock
it’s the same old dawn
with its old curves of insomnia
the pencil plays its latest point
in the pointed word that surprises me
 
Three o’clock
three twelve
everyone dreams of everything that’s happened
during the day
the untiring game
the commotion of the children
the endless trips to another’s counter
the slippery escapes of astonishment
the long halls through which memory transited
the stooped bodies of frustrations
my Achilles heal
José’s fatigue
surprise
laziness
yawns
indifference and ¿why not?
faith
prayers
meetings
Four o’clock
four thirty-four
I turn towards the wall
anxious I wait for the word
the one that doesn’t reach me
the one that burns
the everyday one.

 
In Case Someone Comes
 
I'll have the sheets ready
where dreams will take communion
I'll clean the windows
the air will run soft
and now the smile will have another shape
 
In case someone comes
I'll hide the mirrors
we won't need the erased image
the other face of silence will be enough
to devastate time
 
In case someone comes
I'll light the incense
fill the room with flowers
multicolored lights will illuminate the corners
 
In case someone comes
I'll have the wine ready
the moist fruits
the delicate paper
waiting for the brushstroke
 
In case someone comes
the words will be broken
to unite again
in surprise and happiness.
 
 
Hope
 
I need time to return
To where I left my dreams and passions
Eyes lost in the darkness of the sea
The blessing of tears and tenderness
The refreshing words
born of time and distance
I need time to caress the silence amid the dim light
To taste life in another dimension
To clear my thoughts
So that love can run in the fields
And kindness can reign forever.
 
 

Author’s Bionote:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 *Yrene Santos was born in Villa Tapia, Hermanas Mirabal Province, Dominican Republic, and lives in New York, USA. Master of Education and Latin-American Literature. Publications include: “El andar permanente”, “Verdaderamente”, “Del ayer y estos días”, “Septiembre casi termina”, “Me sorprendió geométrica” (poemas reunidos), “El incansable juego”, among others.  She is co-organizer of The Americas Poetry Festival of New York (TAPFNY), co-editor of the digital magazine “EntreTmas” and Secretary-General of the Dominican Writers Association in the United States (ASEDEU). She is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Spanish at The City University of New York and St. John’s University.