©Josefina Ezpeleta Translated by ©Lidice Megla

UN POEMA CASI LISTO

Casi siempre es de noche.

Casi siempre es un duende.

O quizá una viejecita.

O quizá un niño travieso.

O quizá los tres.

Hacen malabares con las frases,

crucigramas con los verbos,

rompecabezas con los sustantivos,

y reparten adjetivos y adverbios

como en un juego de naipes.

Es en ese momento

en que nos parece

tener listo el poema.

Unos lo logran,

otros, solo llegan al intento.

A Poem Almost Ready

It’s almost always at night time.

It’s almost always a fairy.

Or perhaps, it's a sweet old lady.

Or a frumpy little boy,

Maybe, it's the three of them.

They juggle with phrases,

Play crosswords with the words,

Solve puzzles with substantives,

Deal adjectives and adverbs

Like cards.

It is in that moment

we believe the poem is ready.

Some accomplish it, others can only strive.

©Josefina Ezpeleta

Josefina Ezpeleta: Holguin, Cuba, 1950. Writer and poet resided in Miami, Florida. She is the founder and owner of “Voces de Hoy” publishing house, which hosts its prestigious international poetry contest every year gathering participant poets from all the corners of the world. Josefina’s editorial’s mantra: “fulfilling the dreams of those who wish to see their texts becoming books”

Translation ©Lidice Megla