BROKEN VISION

Long graphisme maigre comme une lettre; il vient
d'échapper tout droit des bâillements des livres.
                        —Michel Foucault
                                Les mots et les choses

Born in midst of shriveled
    parchments,
        a long emaciated silhouette,
like initials drawn by Modigliani,
    still haunts Castilian plains.

A self-consecrated knight,
    he set out,
        eyes wide open, from a time
when water was clear, minds
    pure, fruits always ripe.

His lenses broken, he returned
    empty-handed:
        a wise old hidalgo, lying
in the sheets that gave birth
    to his dreams, closed

his eyelids. Only death
    could mend
        his now opaque vision,
reunite the fragmented quicksilver
    running like lost letters
                    on a page.

h e d y   h a b r a
p o r t a g e,   m i c h i g a n

margin home | contents | links | reading list | marginalia | contributors | staff | guidelines | kudos | subscriptions | contact us

Want to know about UPDATES and NEW ADDITIONS to MARGIN?
Try our - S P A M L E S S - opt-in subscription
It's absolutely free!

Layout, design & revisions © Tamara Kaye Sellman, Webmaster
Active home URL: http://www.magical-realism.com
(also: https://www.angelfire.com/wa2/margin/index. html)

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

TERMS OF USE: This site contains copyrighted materials, including but not limited to text and graphics. You may not use, copy, publish, upload, download, post to a bulletin board, include in any weblog or otherwise transmit, distribute or modify any elements of this site in any way, except that you may download one copy of such contents on any single computer for your own personal, non-commercial use, provided you do not alter or remove any copyright, author attribution or other proprietary notices.

Rev'd 2005/05/31