Stealthy and Silent

Israel Martínez

 

 

Words by Matsuo Bashō, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Castaneda, Pascal Quignard, and Luis Felipe Fabre, mixed and translated by Israel Martínez. 2021-2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clicked her tongue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His teeth were

chattering

from nervousness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is nothing wrong with being afraid.

When thought is afraid,

silence thinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snort and grunt

Moan

What matters is not what is said

but what is moaned

Speaking is not a necessary act

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– There was silence.

– My dear, there is never silence.

– Darling, I never ask questions

to silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A cricket prays

in the corner of the temple,

warm mescalito

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was often quiet, elusive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dressed in mourning until the day

of her death

Like a bat, or a mixture of

mouse and bird

Hoarse voice, big laughs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Was it the demon?

– You take too much care of yourself.

You will get tired and the tiredness will make you

blind to everything else.

– Deaf, not blind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silence!

A very quiet voice shouted stealthily

at full volume

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accept the absence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escape from daily babble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shady forest

birds cries, tears

in the eyes of the owls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– It was a pleasant flow of liquid words.

– But the words that are spoken

are not the words that are written.

– Liquid!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She got angry with me and accused me

of not listening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Footsteps

Murmurs

Rustles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we are going

to contemplate the echo

until we are exhausted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the stillest minute,

the bells of twilight rang,

reminding us that nothing remains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

stealthy and silent