Octagonal Howl Poem - Rita Valdivia

In the cawing of my night
more drawn out than a thought
compacted by the atmosphere;
desires curdle like some vital sustenance
raped by air.

I climbed bleachers worn by time;
each step removed my ancestors’ footprints,
and its howl shattered an octagonal silence.

I searched for inspiration in your laughter;
but your laughter floated static in the void,
begging for the attention
of the ragged ones
parading in vertical lines.

A mix of life and weariness escapes
through mucous membranes
negating pathways,
diligent hands,
eyes festering with wisdom,
all those armored instincts.

Above the night, above the empty laughter,
above my shadow magnified by fever,
the rain of indifference falls,
fossilizing dogmatic old ideas.

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Rita Valdivia (“La Comandante Maya”) (1946 - 1969) Bolivia
Translated by Margaret Randall
Source: World Literature Today