Night Moths, Vapor
Translated By Kelly Austin
Did you know there were hundreds of little
night moths
crowded against the window pane
to catch a glimmer of light?
It was the scent of a strange perfume,
from fallen cocoons, sticky sincerity
that made them flee.
In this world of protected ruins,
in this circular world
where people tell
and re-tell the same stories,
in this world where people forgot
that the dyke
wouldn't be massive enough to hold back
the sea swell;
in this world where each and every one
would flee in panic in the end;
even the old lady sold
spun silver birds
while she whispered...
The tiny, translucent and elegant
night moths
like freshly picked pumpkin seeds
crowded in the corner of that half-open window
clinging to the cold glass,
light eager,
while the vapor filled the room
reaching the nostrils
of colleagues
who didn't recognize each other
but intertwining their fingers,
waited for someone else's words
to atone
and explain
and bestow
meaning to words.
Copyright Credit: Olivia Maciel, "Night Moths, Vapor" from Shadow in Silver. Copyright © 2005 by Olivia Maciel. Translation copyright © 2005 by Kelly Austin and Swan Isle Press. Reprinted by permission of Swan Isle Press.