Pedro Arturo Estrada (Colombia)

Por: Pedro Arturo Estrada
Traductor: Nicolás Suescún

July 8th to 15th, 2017

INVITED POETS

Poetry is Called

Homage to Aldo Pellegrini

Poetry is called all that closes the door to imbeciles, yes.
All that opens, instead, 
the vision and the secret of the world to the innocent,
to those that bet on nothing, 
those that don't hoard, don't live meekly, don't lurk,
don't make plans and, however, are always on the verge of finding,
as if by chance, even love, death, life itself.

Poetry is all that pulls our feet
towards the impossible. That reveals the other side of things
that sings at the end of the disaster for no reason at all.
That shoves you harshly out of our being
or silently invades "a strange tide"
your innards, till it drowns your eyes.

Poetry is called all that suddenly explodes in the word
without warning or logic. All that cannot properly 
be explained to the clever ones, those who are always right.

Poetry is all that comes back after exile,
defeat, fears. The light that returns to the closed rooms 
of old memories; the ancient, recovered simplicity of the days. 
The wind that reawakens a flame in the night. All that survives us,
that always remains with us after the wound, the deepest loss, 
like a last, quiet, -occult strength. The act of touching the loved being begins 
in the beats of a single cell and growing
it expands until the absolute evidence.

The eyes see in the target of desire 
the entrance to the kingdom of the death. 
Courage has recovered territory. Everything happens.

Lovers learn to die together.

Pedro Arturo Estrada - Colombia -1956. He has published the books: Poems in Black and White, 1994; Fatum, 2000; Dark Age and Other Poems, 2006; Sum of Time, 2009; Un/Stories, 2012; Poems from Otra Parte, 2012; Locus Solus, 2013; Black and White, new selection of texts, 2014 and Monody, 2015. He obtained the Ciro Mendia National Prize in 2004, Dreams of Luciano Pulgar Prize in 2007, Medellin Municipal Creation Grant, 2012 and Casa Silva Prize 2013, among others. He has also participated in different festivals and meetings of poetry in Colombia and USA. He has been coordinator of literary workshops with the Ministry of Culture and some educational institutions of his country.

Published at May 27th, 2017