It’s A River That Lost Its Light

By Jesús Sepúlveda

The frost sticks to windows
Winter coven
Feel the tide rise through my mouth

It’s a river that lost its current
In the ocean drops form the world
that shakes
and disappoints

Consciousness after consciousness

2020
the year of perfect vision

Fresh water spring
where Earth angels rest their wings

Human soul revived
–or extinguished

It’s a river
that cut the thread
breath of the dead by white police
breath that spreads and infects
Mutilated bodies of young people in the Plaza

Carabineri gouging eyes and raping
Carabineri protecting the germ of delirium

The virus’ smoke
comes from remote places
and darkens the garden

Trees stand tall and impose their chests
Walls of hunger rumble
Did someone say Celestino?

Ash falls
Words spoken in silence
by lips blowing wise advice

There is a hidden city in the middle of the Mayab

There are chants in the circle of the cross
-give me strength / give me love-
a vibrating rattle
oh atomic particle accelerator!
a river and its basin
and the mountain that stands firm with the
fluidity of waters

No puedo respirar –the heralds of Vallejo proclaim

“I didn’t do nothing serious, sir
please, I can’t breathe”

The Earth shudders
Monday, Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday
Crossfire and intentional fire

It’s a river that lost its place

“Please, man
please, someone
please, I can’t breathe”

From the spring comes the stream that
feeds the river

“I can’t move, mama, I can’t”

You will not kill each other
nor will you eat any beast
Only herbs and fruits will feed your bodies
neither with blood nor flesh will you pollute the
temple of the spirit

“I can’t, mama
My stomach hurts
my neck”

The pandemic is a saga that
everyone would like to write
but the dead are the only narrators

“I can’t breathe, officer
don’t kill me
they’re gonna kill me”

Precept of Wu Wei:
let everything flow effortlessly
Thought made liquid light

Earthly mandate:
stop the productive machinery
recover leisure time
value the essential

Now we know what really matters

Father Sun lights up the great avenues of
introspection

Gardens grow

“I can’t breathe, sir”

Flames rise where demons dance
Codices that speak in secret

The Eternaut discovers the equation:
insurrection, pandemic, fire
Trinity preceding a new dimension

“I can’t breathe
I’m claustrophobic
Everything hurts
some water or something, please”

The small pangolin crosses the garden
of the senses
Don’t touch me—brother—don’t look at me—
beautiful—don’t tempt me with your love

Confinement / disconnection / cracks in the wall of
the virtual mind
Panoptic Society of Digital Control

The deluded get caught in the light with no fluids

Bread and game plan-
demic for the people
5-G crowned
enthroned
bolted on the stage of power

Reality collapses
The abused rise up

Alpha male pulls out his revolver
Takes a shot in the torso
and another in the head

Hills painted by time
High peaks

Are we a lagoon in the middle of nowhere?
omnipresent and almighty be Thy name
inorganic among organisms
Thy will be transparent as invisible is Thy being
and uncover the veil that limits reason

The river regains its strength and kisses the light
Can look
Knows where the ocean is

CEE-O-VEE-I-DEE

I can’t breathe
I can’t
can
bre
a
the