A Brief Treatise on Etymology
Translated By G.J. Racz
If someone tells you that your poem is nostalgic,
take it as a compliment. There's no greater
praise. In Greek, nostos means "return" and
algia "pain." What's a poem without the return
of pain? If they tell you that your poem is
melancholic, take that as a compliment, too. In
Greek, melan means "black" and khole "bile."
What's a poem without the most pernicious disorder
of the body and soul? Pain and illness. If your
poem is nostalgic and melancholic, see a doctor.
Copyright Credit: Eduardo Chirinos, "A Brief Treatise on Etymology" from Still Life with Flies. Translated by G.J. Racz. Copyright © 2016 by Dos Madres Press. Reprinted by permission of Dos Madres Press.