Midnight Interval

Edward S. Curtis, Mojave Girl (circa the turn of the century)

I picked up an Octavio Paz collection in the used bookstore yesterday: Early Poems 1935-1955

The translations are by various people (including W.C. Williams), all of them very good as far as I can tell; the originals are all printed on the facing pages. I should say, I'm not all that familiar with Paz, but I was lulled by his rhythms, made drunken, leaning there beside the bookshelf and reading his words.

Live Interval

Lightning or fishes
in the night of the sea
and birds, lightning
in the forest night.

Our bones are lightning
in the night of the flesh.
O world, all is night,
life is the lightning.