We, stones, were branded by hot iron

We, stones, were branded by hot iron
our eyes scorched
we saw through an inverted gaze
black holes
swallowing us in infinity
death cuddling our misfortune
his dog licking our wounds
spitting
our lacerated conscience
already the flavor of the earth was not the same
fruits fell before they ripened
we were growing clandestinely
drop by drop within the caves
it was in this way that the silence of the great beginning engulfed us

***

From Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas (University of Arizona Press, 2011).

Translated from the Spanish by Gloria E. Cachón.

***

Rosa Chávez is a member of the Maya K’iche tribe on her father’s side and the Maya Kaquiquel on her mother’s side. She was born in Guatemala in 1980. In addition to being a poet, she’s an actress and cultural committee member. Rosa Chávez has been invited to share her work at various literary event and festivals in Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. Publications include Casa solitaria, published in Guatemala in 2009;PIEDRA, published in Costa Rica in 2009; and Los dos corazones de Elena Kame, published in Argentina in 2009.

https://pomored.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/poem-of-the-week-rosa-chavezs-we-stones-were-branded-by-hot-iron/