Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 32

32


o voo

elipses
    em crescente
é suave em planos

    o voo
    em círculos

    elipses
    sem espiral.


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32


flying

ascending
    ellipses
in smooth planes

    flying
    in circles

    ellipses
    without spirals.

"Finally summer and we’re coming alive again"

Summer's coming down on Houston like a slow hammer. Ignore the calendar, because that judging by the solstice shit means nothing here; you go by when the temperature starts regularly sitting over 80 and keeps climbing steadily week over week. So far it's been manageable, which means not suffocatingly humid from dawn past dusk. You can even, if you're in the right mindset and if it's the right time of day, enjoy being in the sun, and understand what Oceanator means when they sing, in what is the platonic ideal of a killer song, "But now the sun’s out/ We’re feeling better about/ What the days ahead bring". 

School's almost over, too. College kids wrapped up a while back, but HISD's last day is this coming week, which means my work schedule as an organizer with the teacher's union is fixing to shift to summer school mode. It's my first summer with the union staff, and I'm looking forward to it.

There's something rather perverse about enjoying (or at least appreciating) summertime in the face of global warming, but existence is nothing but a pile of contradictions, and summer ain't going away, so instead of feeling bad about shit, I'm gonna re-read Gravity's Rainbow (I first read it in 1999), wear shorts and nothing else around the house, drink cold green tea by the gallon, support Molly Cook for Texas Senate, practice 太極拳 taijiquan, listen to Psychic Hit, and drive around this insane city that the state of Texas absolutely despises, doing what I can to build worker power, which is the key to a future worth living in.

"I'm glad y'all came along." -Oceanator

DAS

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 31

31


inevitavelmente
é geográfico
o espaço

o espaço

    não a largura
    da semeadura

mas o limite
do vale

o outro espaço.


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31


inevitably
space
is geographic

space

    not how far
    seeds are sown

but the edge
of the valley

the other space.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 30

30


as mãos
são asas

dimensionando
o tempo.


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30


hands
are wings

measuring
time.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 29

"Vertente" and "encosta" both mean "slope" or "hillside." Hence the echo, which doesn't work as well in English, but o que podes fazer? I like how the typography reflects the content.

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29


resgato o silêncio
na vertente    encosta

eco da montanha.


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29


i rescue the silence
on the hill    side

the mountain's echo.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 28

28


estas mãos
cheias de sementes
não ousam
tocar
o tempo
    das monções

espaço diluído
nas enxurradas.


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28


these hands
full of seeds
don't dare
to touch
the monsoon
    season

a span diluted
by floods.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 27

How these images work together escapes me—mostly—but damn, the more I read this one, the more I like it.

 

27


cintilam os cristais
na montra do destino

no centro
o esquife

sereno

no rosto
o espelho
a paz

depois
o trabalho oficinal

o metal deslizante
une a madeira
completa-se o ciclo
das aparências

o sentido das palavras
esgota-se

a angústia
a regra do jogo

no limiar dos cílios
secam-se as lágrimas

a tarde azul
tem recados urgentes
nas pétalas das flores.


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27


the crystals glitter
in destiny's display case

in the middle
the casket

serene

his face
reflecting
peace

afterwards
laboring in the workshop

slippery metal
joins wood
the cycle of appearances
is complete

words run out
of meaning

anguish
the name of the game

tears dry
on the tips of eyelashes

the blue afternoon
sends urgent messages
on the petals of flowers.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 26

26


à esquerda da cidade
nasceram flores silvestres
de cor amarela

não posso deixar
de citar a cor
para não se confundir
com as flores vermelhas
que nasceram
à direita da cidade

a cidade ficou com flores
de cada lado

só a entrada e saída
ficou deserta
é onde o povo passa
os senhores
habitam nos palácios da periferia
rodeados de flores

no alto da cidade
nos corredores
do palácio da justiça
também existem
algumas verduras

    cardos e espinheiras

no roseiral
do pátio interior
o supremo juiz ordenou

que se retirassem os espinhos
às roseiras

para oferecer
aos condenados à morte.

 

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26


on the left of the city
yellow
wildflowers grew

i can't help but
mention the color
so they aren't confused
with the red flowers
that grew
on the right of the city

there were flowers all over
the city

only the entrance and exit
were deserted
that's where the people suffer
the masters
live in palaces on the periphery
surrounded by flowers

in the upper city
in the halls
of the palace of justice
there also exists
some greenery

    thistles and brambles

in the rose gardens
of the inner courtyard
the supreme judge ordered

that the thorns be removed
from the rose bushes

in order to offer them
to those sentenced to death.