New Poetry Book is Bilingual

Whether our day begins with too much to do as we hurry off to school or work, or whether we find ourselves overwhelmed by grief when listening to the morning news, poetry can bring us into a quiet space, creating silence in our minds through sound and images and perhaps even a glimmer of (dare I say it?) eternity itself.

Here are a few poems from the forthcoming book, Landscape of the Soul, by the New York poet Hipolito Orlando Sanchez. He writes poems both in his mother tongue Spanish and his acquired language of English. The poems will be printed side by side, making it not only an enjoyable read for a bilingual reader, but a great tool for students of English as well as those learning Spanish. Available on Amazon in May, 2022, both as a hardcover book and Kindle ebook. It will also be available at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores throughout the world.

In a Hurry

I’m in a hurry

To live the day.

Fears will come

And will go.

From the drawers I’ll pick up

Perfection

I’ll carry in my pockets

Crumbs of reality.

The dream has ended

Waking up arrives from around the corner,

Working day please give me courage

To glimpse the eternal.

Silence, let’s be quiet,

With hurried steps, what’s finished comes

And also what has no end.

Mantra, prayer,

Come to free me with hurried steps,

There’s much to do.

Con Pasos Apurados

Tengo un apuro

De vivir el día

Los miedos vendrán

Y se irán.

De los cajones usaré

La perfección

Y en mis bolsillos llevaré

Migajas de realidad.

El sueño ha terminado

Llega el despertar a la vuelta de una esquina.

Día de trabajo, dame aliento

Para vislumbrar la eternidad.

Silencio, a callar,

Viene con pasos apurados

Lo terminado

Y el sin fin.

Mantra, oración,

Ven a liberarme con pasos apurados:

Hay mucho que hacer.

Confusion on the Run

This is the poem of emergencies

When fire has erupted and action, not verses, are required.

But this fire comes on tiptoes

First the smoke, then the heat, then the lamentations.

So, while the urgency of the emergency

Starts slowly the shout of Run!

You gather momentum

You raise the prayer,

Prayer commands the mind:

Prudence, and run!

Confusión Corriendo

Este es un poema de emergencias

Cuando el fuego se prendió y acción, no versos hace falta.

Pero este fuego viene muy despacio,

Primero el, humo, después el calor, después los lamentos.

Mientras la urgencia de la emergencia

Viene despacio al grito de ¡A Correr!

Uno junta impulso

Elevando una oración

La oración comanda el pensar:

Prudencia, y ¡a correr! 

Messages in the Air

I write messages in the air.

Nothingness answers:

We are all encompassing,

Do not let anguish overtake your soul.

Deep in the center of your chest

There is an invisible well:

Cast your imaginary basket

And gather waters of the eternal.

Smile no matter what.

Blissfulness answers.

Mensajes en el Aire

Escribo mensajes en el aire.

La nada responde:

Todo lo abarco yo.

No te dejes inundar de angustia.

Hondo en el centro de tu pecho

Hay un manantial invisible:

Echa tu balde imaginario

Recoge aguas eternas.

Sonríe pase lo que pase.

Beatitud responde.

An Eternal Moment

Early this morning I said:

Therese, let’s write a poem.

She said: What for?

And I said: Didn’t you ever

Place a butterfly in the palm of your hand,

Or a firefly, for an unforgettable moment,

And then let them fly away to their forever space?

Then she replied

with just a smile.

Let’s open a door to the eternal

In the present moment.

Heart prayer, inner silence,

Dynamic quiet.

Blessing that never ceases.

Let’s go to work.

Un Momento Eterno

Temprano esta mañana dije:

Teresa, escribamos un poema.

Ella respondió: ¿Para qué?

Y yo dije: ¿Nunca

Pusiste una mariposa en tu palma,

O una luciérnaga, por un momento inolvidable,

Y los dejaste volar al por siempre espacio?

Entonces ella respondió

Con apenas una sonrisa.

Abramos una puerta a lo eterno

En el momento presente.

Oración del corazón, silencio interior

Dinámica quietud

Bendición sin parar.

Vamos al trabajo.