Poems from ‘Mindskin’ by Antonella Zagaroli

from Fan-Locked (2001-2004)
The sun embroiders the hinges on the door
Fan-locked

the woman with the curdled breast
mirrors the colours one by one
mortifies their harmony with blood between her thighs

She’s jealous of every new whim
kneads her tongue with hankerings for salt

Replies without eyes to a world in silence

 

Fan-Locked is ©Antonella Zagaroli, this translation is © Anamaría Crowe Seranno

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A Ray. Wind on the waterfall

The rain doesn’t burst down
Slowly the grey ink gets closer,

exhausted in the whirlwind, from the white crest
a ventricle a womb an island is newly born
slides into the lake to gather itself, perspire

And there’s no downpour yet

The earth continues to spread out.

Fan-Locked is ©Antonella Zagaroli, this translation is ©Anamaría Crowe Seranno from Prose poetry from THE BLUE FOX (2002)

 

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Les Amoureux.

At the hour that rises between water and harvest yellow a seagull
glided over the robust net of the fisherman Anchise
It had come from far away with no break
Its wings had withered, salt had dissolved their strength
Only thanks to its ever vigilant eye had it entered the clearing of
sheaves.
Anchise at that time of day would pause to look at the sky and had
noticed the bird for the solemn and cautious way it hovered
So it seemed from the flight path and angle which set the bird
apart from others
It must have been the leader of a flock though not of seagulls, of
exotic migrants from beyond the waves  …

The bird touched the water as if stroking it
happy to be pulled along
dived through the surface and let go
exhausted it aimed at the highest cloud
labouring to maintain height
with its wings glistening blue from the sea
then whirled back towards land.
Anchise, the white and nimble guardian of everything around him,
gauged the elements of that sea orchestra.

 

© Antonella Zagaroli, translations © Anamaría Crowe Seranno

Antonella Zagaroli’s Mindskin is translated with an introductory essay by Anamaría Crowe Serrano. Thank you so much to Antonella for the poems and for facilitating their publication on Poethead. Thanks to Jen Matthews of SouthWord Publications for suggesting Antonella for  Poets in Translation. About Mindskin Poetry, Bilingual Edition. Translated from the Italian and introduced by Anamaría Crowe Serrano. Antonella Zagaroli is a poetic phenomenon. She writes prolifically, applies poetry to psychological studies, runs poetic workshops and organizes poetry, art and awareness events in health-care centers, schools and libraries. Her work is fluid and constantly evolving. Mindskin offers a generous selection from two collections of poetry (La maschera della Gioconda/The Gioconda’s Mask and Serrata a ventagli/Fan-locked), a volume of prose poems (La volpe blu/The Blue Fox) and an epic poem (Vinera minima/Minimal Venus).’ (http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9780982384978/mindskin-a-selection-of-poems-19852010-.aspx Related Links Mindskin by Antonella Zagaroli Jennifer Matthews