The Desert of Atacama V

Speak of the whistle of Atacama

the wind erases like snow

the color of that plain

i. The Desert of Atacama soared over infinities of

deserts to be there

ii. Like the wind feel it pass whistling through the

leaves of the trees

iii. Look at it become transparent faraway and just

accompanied by the wind

iv. But be careful: because if ultimately the Desert

of Atacama were not where it should be the

whole world would begin to whistle through the

leaves of the trees and when we'd see ourselves

in the same never transparent whistles

in the wind swallowing the color of this pampa

Copyright Credit: Republished with permission of University of California Press, “The Desert of Atacama V” from Purgatory by Raúl Zurita. Copyright © 2009 by Raúl Zurita. Permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

Source: Purgatory (University of California Press, 2009)