this is a poem that heals a fish

A poem
is when you have the sky in your mouth.
It is hot like fresh bread,
when you eat it,
a little is always left over.

A poem
is when you hear
the heartbeat of a stone,
when words beat their wings.
It is a song sung in a cage.

A poem
is words turned upside down
and suddenly!
the world is new.

in case

We were taught in grade school different lessons of survival:
In case of nuclear attack, hide under your desk.
In case of chemical attack, buy duct tape.
Buy a rape whistle.Learn a martial art

I read old fairy tales, wolves lurking behind trees
and parents ready to kill children. Magic mirrors,
dragons, spells that charm and protect.
Burn this herb to banish ghosts.

Sometimes I imagine afterlife, puffs of pink
clouds and unicorns, or gold harps, or glass cities
with streets made of Emerald. The whole earth
spinning like a child's marble below, pitiful.

We are told to vaccinate, or educate, to warn.
Traffic tickets, parking signs: bureaucratic safety nets.
Our governments promise safety in exchange for....
I will light a candle, listen to the solar-charged radio for a sign.

cuando la niebla

Cuando la niebla sube de los campos
recién labrados es tal un fantasma
que luego se deshace como hilachas
de algodón. Forma rostros y figuras
que él quiere recordar y que no puede
porque todas sus formas son huidizas.
Las personas que amó y que ya no existen
escapan de la tierra como hurtándose
de sus recuerdos que también se borran.
Cuando la niebla está desvaneciéndose
dan ganas de fundirse y escapar.