It’s A River That Lost Its Light

By Jesús Sepúlveda

The frost sticks to windows
Winter coven
Feel the tide rise through my mouth 

It’s a river that lost its current
In the ocean drops form the world
that shakes
and disappoints


Consciousness after consciousness


2020
the year of perfect vision


Fresh water spring
where Earth angels rest their wings 


Human soul revived
–or extinguished 


It’s a river
that cut the thread
breath of the dead by white police
breath that spreads and infects
Mutilated bodies of young people in the Plaza 


Carabineri gouging eyes and raping
Carabineri protecting the germ of delirium 


The virus’ smoke
comes from remote places
and darkens the garden 


Trees stand tall and impose their chests
Walls of hunger rumble
Did someone say Celestino?  


Ash falls
Words spoken in silence
by lips blowing wise advice 


There is a hidden city in the middle of the Mayab 


There are chants in the circle of the cross
          -give me strength / give me love-
a vibrating rattle
          oh atomic particle accelerator!
a river and its basin
and the mountain that stands firm with the
fluidity of waters 


No puedo respirar –the heralds of Vallejo proclaim


“I didn’t do nothing serious, sir
please, I can’t breathe”


The Earth shudders
Monday, Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday
Crossfire and intentional fire 


It’s a river that lost its place 


“Please, man
please, someone
please, I can’t breathe”


From the spring comes the stream that
feeds the river  


“I can’t move, mama, I can’t”


You will not kill each other
          nor will you eat any beast
Only herbs and fruits will feed your bodies
neither with blood nor flesh will you pollute the
temple of the spirit


“I can’t, mama
My stomach hurts
my neck”


The pandemic is a saga that
everyone would like to write
but the dead are the only narrators 


“I can’t breathe, officer
don’t kill me
they’re gonna kill me”  


Precept of Wu Wei:
          let everything flow effortlessly
          Thought made liquid light 


Earthly mandate:
          stop the productive machinery
recover leisure time
value the essential 


Now we know what really matters 


Father Sun lights up the great avenues of
introspection  


Gardens grow 


“I can’t breathe, sir”


Flames rise where demons dance
Codices that speak in secret  


The Eternaut discovers the equation:
insurrection, pandemic, fire
Trinity preceding a new dimension 


“I can’t breathe
I’m claustrophobic
Everything hurts
some water or something, please”


The small pangolin crosses the garden
of the senses
Don’t touch me—brother—don’t look at me—
beautiful—don’t tempt me with your love 


Confinement / disconnection / cracks in the wall of
the virtual mind
Panoptic Society of Digital Control 


The deluded get caught in the light with no fluids


Bread and game plan-
          demic for the people
          5-G crowned
enthroned
bolted on the stage of power  


Reality collapses
The abused rise up 


Alpha male pulls out his revolver
Takes a shot in the torso
          and another in the head 


Hills painted by time
High peaks


Are we a lagoon in the middle of nowhere?
          omnipresent and almighty be Thy name
          inorganic among organisms
          Thy will be transparent as invisible is Thy being
          and uncover the veil that limits reason 


The river regains its strength and kisses the light
          Can look
          Knows where the ocean is 


CEE-O-VEE-I-DEE 


I can’t breathe
I can’t
can
bre
a
the

September 11, 2020