A citizen of the United States, France, and Spain, Hélène Cardona’s most recent books are the award-winning Life in Suspension (Salmon Poetry, 2016); Dreaming My Animal Selves (Salmon Poetry, 2013); and the translations Birnam Wood (José Manuel Cardona, Salmon Poetry 2018), Beyond Elsewhere (Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac, White Pine Press, 2016), winner of a Hemingway Grant; and Ce que nous portons (Dorianne Laux, Éditions du […]
If I could gather all the sadness of the world, all the sadness inside me into a gourd, I’d shake it once in a while and let it sing, let it remind me of who I used to be, bless it for what it taught me and stare at it lovingly for not seeping out […]
Si je pouvais rassembler toute la tristesse du monde, toute la tristesse que je possède à l’intérieur d’une gourde, je la secouerais de temps en temps pour qu’elle chante et me rappelle qui j’étais, je la bénierais pour ce qu’elle m’a appris et la regarderais avec amour pour qu’elle ne s’échappe pas de son récipient. […]
The light on the icon, The way I see her in my dreams, The core of her at the edge of darkness, In a magic cauldron always full, Never exhausted, That brings her back to life, Guarded by a golden serpent Coiled in the shape of an egg, The world snake marshalling Inner reserves, The […]
On the wall of time to come, A window appears. I open it, let angels in. The vortex in his eye Spins me out of myself, Infinity held in blue iris, Closes around me, Snatches me in Eagle form, Resurrects old scars, Absorbs […]
Sur le mur du temps à venir, Une fenêtre apparaît. Je l’ouvre, laisse entrer les anges. Le vortex dans son oeil Me fait tournoyer hors de moi-même, L’infini contenu dans son iris bleu Se referme sur moi, Me saisit sous forme d’aigle, Ressuscite des cicatrices anciennes, […]
Nothing is born or perishes, but already existing things combine, then separate anew. — Anaxagoras Somebody spoke at my death But I wasn’t dead. People loved the eulogy, Couldn’t get enough of it. It wasn’t sad at all. All this water came out of nowhere, Mingled with air, And the […]
I live in a house that’s a ship, At times on land, at times on ocean. I will myself into existence, Surrender, invite grace in. I heed the call of the siren. On the phantom ship I don’t know if I’m wave or cloud, Undine or seagull. Whipped by winds, I […]