two poems by Arabella Salaverry

Upon Naked Skin* by Arabella Salaverry

Upon naked skin I write.

Upon the ardent expanse

which covers me

and accompanies me

throughout life’s journeys.

Upon my pores

a pleat

a portrait of abrasions.

Upon the gashes

outlines of

a filigree of scars.

Upon this silent collapse

which sometimes reacts to

caresses.

Oh, the wail!

which in other women invokes

absence.

Upon this skin

which at times holds me back

but also becomes unsuitable.

Upon this skin which might as well be a shroud.

Upon this skin of fire and frost.

Upon this skin

my skin

I write.

Puddle in a Storm* by Arabella Salaverry

That distant body

known to be mine

has no identity.

It turns off.

It dries up.

It fades away.

Puddle in a storm

dissolving in anticipation.

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*Poems translated from the Spanish by Andrés Alfaro

Translator’s note:  Despite the simplicity found in the language that Salaverry uses, the translation of such profound and expertly crafted poetry is never easy.  At times Salaverry uses heavy alliteration which, due to the short length of the poems, I felt was integral to the poems.  Whenever possible I have also tried to use corresponding alliteration as well.  Additionally, certain words such as la espera (appears in “Puddle in a Storm”) can be difficult to translate from the Spanish due to the fact that English has no corresponding noun that implicates such specificity.  I have used ‘anticipation’, though la espera is really ‘the act of waiting’, which could be something like anticipation or expectation, though no word seems to be truly satisfying.

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Arabella Salaverry (Costa Rica) is a poet and actress.  She has appeared in more than thirty plays and published five books of poetry including Breviario del deseo esquivo (Breviary of Shy Desires, 2005) from which the following poems have been taken.  She is currently the vice-president of the Association of Costa Rican Women Writers.  She has received various awards as well as the praise of other Costa Rican writers such as Carmen Naranjo and Alfonso Chase.