Terra Nostra - Opening

I THE OLD
WORLD

FLESH, SPHERES, GRAY EYES
BESIDE THE SEINE

Incredible, the first animal that dreamed of another animal. Monstrous the first vertebrate that succeeded in standing on two feet and thus spread terror among the beasts still normally and happily crawling close to the ground through the slime of creation. Astounding the first telephone call, the first boiling water, the first song, the first loincloth.

TERRA
NOSTRA

CARLOS
FUENTES

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY
MARGARET SAYERS PEDEN
FARRAR.STRAUS.GIROUX
NEW YORK

FOR SYLVIA

Translation copyright &copy 1976 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.
Originally published in Spanish, copyright &copy 1975 by
Editorial Joaquin Mortiz, S.A., Mexico
First printing, 1976
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Published simultaneously in Canada by McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., Toronto
Designed bby Cynthia Krupat

Malbec Verbs

Malbec Verbs

a bottle of malbec - in  your hands,
this is the moment - we know
kyle and sara love to be here
but now there is a smile on
your lips,
maybe it's better this way!
laughter, instigator:
bottle bleeds the work,
the mustard seed
in your hair
shines like a fleck of gold
it's been this way forever
....like the sand of the ocean
in the hollow of your knees
and million little suns glowing -
little honey-discs -
on your skin, licking
the blue skies moving
under your eyes closed
while your sleep lay heavy
on my chest
... these waves come very close
till they sweep us
agitating, swirling -
maybe sara likes to be here
or is it better this way?
listening to Destroyer crying
his british columbianness
in the malbec-heavy red-blur
that cannot save the
scintillation of aching
time-splinters,
gravitating into a vortex
of a little deathly pain:
the pleasure that
we abide by
into letting words
suck our breath:
our gathering song

Larva - Closing

((What happened? Nothing. Surely just the fuses have blown...))