Blogia
On Poetry and Culture Shock

Hurricane Katrina and art

I'd rather talk about politics, but this is not a "welcome to LaGuiri's opinions" blog. Who ever listen to anyone else's political opinions, and, who cares about what I think? I'm only a poet. The destruction of New Orleans is also tragic for art lovers; so much music, so many stories in a single place.

I might do a series of New Orleans-related song lyrics. Yesterday I found out that my beloved Ani DiFranco was recording what was meant to be her next album; she & her people had time to evacuate, but she has lost her home, her studio and worst of all, the reconrdings that would become that album. The Ani equivalent of my computer crashing with all its poems inside. I know that there are people dying but in a tragedy so huge, only the loss of small things has any measure.

This Ani song has nothing to do with anything; it's a coincidence that it mentions a wave. It's just a beautiful love (sex?) song that I'm listening to a lot lately. I admire the way she defines two personalities with three words.

today we are only whatall is nice about us
today we turned on in the blue light of dawn
and made love
and you were not a dot dot dot
waiting for me to complete you
and it was like i just forgot
to measure everything that i do

we woke up with the notion
that enough is not enough without more
and then we pushed with one motion
like the ocean heaves a wave at the shore
and you were not a dot dot dot
leaning forward expectantly
and i was not in such a rush
to insure my autonomy

Hoy hemos dado sólo lo mejor de nosotros.
Hoy encendimos la luz azul del amanecer,
y hemos hecho el amor.
Tú no eras una línea de puntos
esperando a que yo te completase
y para mí fue como olvidarme
de medir todo lo que hago.

Nos despertamos pensando
que "suficiente" no basta
y entonces empujamos en un solo movimiento
como el océano que empuja una ola hasta la playa
Y tú no eras una línea de puntos
esperando ansioso
y yo no tenía prisa
por asegurar mi independencia.

0 comentarios