The Sacred Couple

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Today's selection from the poetry books of City Lights Books is from Homero Aridjis 's Solar Poems, published in January of this year. Translation by George McWhirter.

The Sacred Couple

For some time now, I have been into dreaming about volcanoes.

In particular, the Valley of Mexico's sacred couple.

He, with the white head and scratched eye;

she, with the snowy crater and breasts erect.

Although they keep their distance by day,

at midnight their silhouettes join.

Those stone lovers with hearts of fire

caress one another underground.

A short time ago, I surprised the Sleeping Woman,

on her back, red-faced from the setting Sun, staring at the Moon.

From the center of the sky the Moon was eyeing her,

while the Sun, with a love-struck face, set on the horizon.

The spirit of the Smoking Mountain

flashed through the air dressed in yellow.

I was walking along the highway, headed nowhere;

an abyss, to either side of me.

Homero Aridjis, "The Sacred Couple" from Solar Poems © 2010 by Homero Aridjis. Reprinted with the permission of City Lights Books, San Francisco, California. www.citylights.com