Michael Curtis

Safe Harbour

1

She learned it early, that smile,

used the world over

to placate and to persuade.

She exercised it each morning,

quietened her children,

schooled her husband to good behaviour,

sent it before her each evening

into a room of laughing men,

taught it to earn tips at the bar,

let it spread from her mouth

to raised cheeks and tightened jaw,

coloured her talk with whites and reds,

employed it carelessly,

allowed it to play with a strand of hair,

look twice at the stranger at the corner table,

until insatiable nights

wiped it from her perfected face

and stole it from her eyes

2

So tonight

all the light

is robbed from her eyes

and the smile

once found with ease

when lighting our candle

takes ten seconds to compose

as she walks to our table

from the back room.

Her long peppered summer

has fetched up in August

weary as winter,

and now she must keep on walking

through an unbreakable dream

that brings no escaping

3

Like the dream

you’ve forgotten by morning

but doesn’t forget you,

your son dead, your father dying again,

the nightmare

that lies heavy behind eyes

that cloud for hours despite sunshine,

lamplight or even awakened love,

so the voice on the phone that evening

cannot be believed, the postcard

from the island beach in Thailand,

date smudged, must have been censored,

the e-mail confirming her arrival

forged, and the only thing

that can burn off the doubt

is another half-remembered dream,

unwilled, involuntary, but this time light

4

As the weightless catamaran

that straddles the countless fires

extinguishing and lighting the warm sea

on a risen morning

resolved to dazzle eyes

and burn off all effects of clouds

while the brief wakes of yachts

break cover to take their chance

and slake untethered restlessness

unsheeted at the exhausted wind

muffled engines screwing to the sun

as crews float between lives

5

Like us upon the salt of life,

swimming on the writhing sea

bathing in the showered sun

hugging shade beneath the pines,

purged of form, reduced to line

so recognition sheds disguise,

and sparrows peck at sparrow dunes

and sand flies fly across the sand,

and we follow the directions

concealed from the border guards

who only mistake them for maps

painted on glass quicksilvered by death,

and here we’ll find our way

while pedalos pedal families of five

lilos lie low in the afternoon

and the day glows in dayglows,

navigate a route through clouds

and imagine ourselves to light

until we settle to the smiles

that trade in nothing but themselves.

Ana Maria Purec

Michael Curtis

Safe Harbour

1

L-a invatat devreme, acel zambet,

folosit de toata lumea sa impace

si sa convinga.

L-a repetat in fiecare dimineata,

si-a linistit copiii,

si-a invatat sotul sa se poarte frumos,

a inveselit fiecare seara,

intr-o camera plina cu barbati ce radeau

i-a invatat pe altii ca sa castige bacsis la bar,

l-a lasat sa se vada pe buzele ei

pe obraji ridicati si maxilarul strans,

si-a colorat vorbele cu alb si rosu,

l-a folosit neglijent,

l-a lasat sa se joace cu o suvita de par,

sa se uite de doua ori la strainul de la masa din colt,

pana cand noptile nesatule

i l-au sters de pe chipul ei perfect

si i l-au furat din privire.

2

asa ca la noapte

toata lumina

ochilor ei va fi furata.

si zambetul

candva gasit cu usurinta

cand aprindeam lumanarea noastra

dureaza zece secunde sa apara

in timp ce ea vine la masa noastra

din camera din spate.

Vara ei lunga si plina

s-a oprit in august

obosita precum iarna,

iar acum trebuie sa mearga mai departe printr-un vis de nepatruns

din care nu se poate evada.

3

Precum visul

pe care il uiti pana dimineata

dar care nu te uita,

fiul tau mort, tatal tau murind din nou cosmarul

care atarna in spatele ochilor

intunecati de ore intregi, desi e soare afara, lumina lampii sau chiar iubirea trezita,

asa si vocea de la telefon in acea seara

nu poate fi crezuta, vederea

de pe plaja de pe insula din Thailanda,

data mazgalita, trebuie ca a fost cenzurata, e-mailul care confirma sosirea-i

falsificat, iar singurul lucru

care poate inlatura indoiala

este un alt vis amintit pe jumatate,

nedorit, involuntar, dar de data asta-i lumina

4

Precum catamaranul usor

ce invaluie focurile nenumarate

intunecand si luminand marea calda

intr-o dimineata devreme

menita sa incante ochii

si sa alunge toate efectele norilor

in timp ce trezirea scurta a iahturilor

ce se dezvelesc pentru a-si incerca norocul si-si potolesc nelinistea continua

bete de vantul obosit

macarale cu motor intinzandu-se catre soare in timp ce echipajele plutesc intre vieti

5

Ca noi cu amarul vietii

inotand in marea-nvolburata

stand sub razele soarelui

imbratisand umbra de sub pini,

fara forma, redusa la o linie

pentru ca recunostinta sa arate deghizare

si vrabiile sa ciuguleasca dunele

si mustele de nisip zburand deasupra nisipului,

si urmam directiile

ascunse de graniceri

care le confunda cu hartile

pictate pe sticla de mercur de moarte,

si aici ne vom gasi calea

in timp ce pedalele poarta familii de cinci

crinii stau aplecati dupa-amiaza

si ziua straluceste in straluciri diurne,

sa navigam printre nori

si sa ne imaginam usori

pana cand ne oprim la zambete

care nu negociaza nimic decat pe ele.