Alexander Best: “Los Hechos” y “El Buen Libro”

Zócalo Poets

Nos vemos en el Zócalo / Meet Us in the Square

Alexander Best: “Los Hechos” y “El Buen Libro”

Alexander Best

The Facts

.

My body’s made of clay – of iron, wool and gold – and

Mainly of clay.

The body falls apart; is brave; builds itself again – while I

Sleep; while I – crippled – walk.

A body’s made to love, though not to worship. For the

Soul must never be held. Still – I’ll

Take care of my mudcaked ” house “, at least for

This little while.

When your body’s well, I love it; when your body’s sick, too. Because it’s

There I find Us – for a time.

Oh, of all the wishes I might wish, I’d wish for — —

But the facts are enough.

Forever, You and I are

Pure as soil, delicate as dust, magical as ash.

Our body – weary, strong body –

Our body’s made of clay.

.

(2000)

. . .

Los Hechos

.

Mi cuerpo está hecho de arcilla – y de hierro, lana y oro –

Y más que todo de arcilla.

El cuerpo se desintegra; es valiente, se reconstruye por sí mismo

– mientras duermo; cuando – lisiado – camino.

Un cuerpo está hecho para ser amado, sin embargo no lo idolatres.

Porque el alma no debe ser retenida.

Aun así yo cuido a mi ‘casa’ cubierta de barro endurecido, por lo menos

por un rato.

Cuando tu cuerpo está bien, lo amo, cuando está enfermo también.

Porque es allí donde encontramos a nosotros – por un rato.

Oh, de todos los deseos que yo pudiera desear —

Pero los hechos son suficientes.

Para siempre Tú y Yo somos

Puros como tierra, delicados como polvo, mágicos como la ceniza.

Nuestro cuerpo – cansado, fuerte –

Nuestro cuerpo está hecho de arcilla.

.

(2000)

. . .

Alexander Best

The Good Book

.

I open the book, rather, The Good Book.

Is The Answer within these thousand-odd onion-skin pages?

No.

But it’s an amazing life-span’s read, just the same;

About folks – dead, all of ’em – who were

Rough, sweet, ignorant.

Naaah, Hollywood / Science

Can’t crack this nut – and I’m

Glad in that.

.

My

Favourite exasperating character is

Jesus:

Son of man, born of woman, had – (they say) – that

Divine spark, the same one burns in the billions of us.

He was a flesh-and-blood human being,

Like you and me

– but he was more than that. A

Deep and subtle thinker; simple, oblique and rich in his

Word; a vagrant who was a holy man

(such as the Hindus have). And once he

Got known – ( those Wonders with the loaves and fish; the

Leper and Lazarus; not to mention

the guy walked on water ) –

He was given no peace,

Not even on Sundays.

.

The Multitude trailed him…And here and there he sought an

Evening’s quiet in high-up mountain hollows where he

Lay with his head on a stone pillow, and

Still his restless spirit wouldn’t quit. Well…