Friday, February 02, 2007

Between going and staying


[by Octavio Paz]

Between going and staying the day wavers,
in love with its own transparency.
The circular afternoon is now a bay
where the world in stillness rocks.

All is visible and all elusive,
all is near and can't be touched.

Paper, book, pencil, glass,
rest in the shade of their names.

Time throbbing in my temples repeats
the same unchanging syllable of blood.
The light turns the indifferent wall
into a ghostly theater of reflections.

I find myself in the middle of an eye,
watching myself in its blank stare.

The moment scatters.
Motionless, I stay and go: I am a pause.

2 comments:

sirbarrett said...

You describe a tentativeness beautifully. I feel that way today but not really in a good way. Can't figure out my purpose...though should I have one? It's Saturday. Anyway, I'm still debating with myself but I think this has helped me decide that perhaps I should go for a walk...if only to make me get out!

Alina said...

Beautiful poem!