“— I don’t know, I don’t know. Don’t know if I’m staying
or passing through.”
(“— não sei, não sei. Não sei se fico
ou passo.”) ~ “Motive,” Cecília Meireles, trans. Natalie d’Arbeloff
The printed dress is in the bag,
its tag attached, its pleats
turned over for return
or for exchange: what’ll catch
the eye instead? Peacock
swirls or ombre tones,
soft drapes of fabric will dissolve
in too much bleach or too much sun
—So many skins, and only one
frame on which to try them all,
with which to alter the outline of
that figure journeying in the void.
In response to Via Negativa: Contrary Moon: Three poems by Cecilia Meireles.