LA MUJER MAPUCHE, CHILE 1745
By
I didn’t wear a helmet,
coats of sealskin or whalebone
I didn’t carry thick hide shields
I didn’t wear armour
Strong double corselet
made of leather
Shoulder plates
Cuysses, thigh pieces
Gauntelets,
lance and pike made of iron
protected by bowmen and
troops armed with clubs.
Didn’t utter terrific yells
preceded by trumpets.
Claim spoils on the battlefield.
Casa de la mujer Mapuche:
Llama wool woven poncho.
Long braids fastenend with red ribbons.
The daughter of Lonko —
He struck my mouth
quick and ferocious
surprising me in the kitchen —
Voice of my husband Toqui.
PRIPYAT MARSHES
By
The wolf keens, It’s all gone, all gone —
Rivers and bogs, black grass,
barbed wire fence borders.
Potato field,
poisoned with cesium and strontium.
The wolf keens, It’s all gone, all gone —
It happened on an April day,
violet-green swallows,
Irina Grigorovna’s one-room izba.
White cotton curtains, geraniums.
Chernobyl sky.
What is life like in the Zone?
Visiting her daughter’s grave.
I just wanted to say - wow! - the poetry selection this month is quite outstanding, and really took my breath away. Congratulations to all. I've enjoyed every single one of the works for very different reasons, but all have left me feeling enriched in some way.
Thank you, Anne, very much. I'm sure I speak for all of the poets this month; your comments are a great reward. It's an honour to have my work appear alongside that of such outstanding poets in this excellent online production. The high standard of poetry set by the likes of yourself (last month) have been continued and I've no doubt that will be maintained in future issues. I'll be sure to find out.