“The Poem Bodies Make” by Luis Alberto Ambroggio, as translated by Naomi Ayala
Behold the poem the bodies
of gods who love one another make;
This poem is so lovely, its language so lush. The call to the reader loops me in—to the poem, the image.
Listen to how they knock against each other with the breath of waves;
heart open, light infusing them;
Walter Gomez –
Ambroggio was born in Córdoba, Argentina. Although I have never been to Argentina, I have a touch of it close by at Esquina Tango. Dance classes, Yoga, Latin American films and Spanish conversation—it’s a fun place.
High heels and dancing make me smile. I rarely dance but when in Austin I head to Esquina Tango and catch Salsa Aerobics on Saturdays. The foot moves are fast. I’m off beat most of the time yet I find myself feeling lighter, more hopeful. Perhaps it is the music, the lift and tilt of the Spanish language.
Speaking of lift, here is one of Ambroggio’s poems in Spanish, “Mi Primer Vuelo”, or “My First Flight.”
Con mi sonrisa feliz
le traigo algo del sol triunfante.
Alice-Catherine 