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.

Teofana Trapcea

Michael Curtis

Port sigur

1

A deprins curand acel zambet,

folosit de lume

pentru a impaca si convinge.

Il exersa in fiecare dimineata,

isi linistea copiii,

isi educa sotul sa se comporte frumos,

il afisa in fiecare seara

intr-o incapere cu barbati care radeau,

il invata sa castige bacsis la bar,

il lasa sa se raspandeasca de la gura

catre obrajii ridicati si barbia incordata,

ii colora conversatia cu tonuri de alb si rosu,

il folosea cu nonsalanta,

ii permitea sa se joace cu o suvita de par,

sa priveasca de doua ori la strainul de la masa din colt,

pana cand noptile lacome

l-au sters de pe fata retusata

si l-au rapit din priviri.

2

Asa ca in asta seara

toata lumina

a disparut din ochi

si zambetul

odata lesne gasit

pe cand aprindea lumanarile pe mese

dureaza zece secunde pentru a se forma

in timp ce se indreapta catre masa noastra din camera din spate.

Lunga ei vara aventuroasa

s-a razbunat in august

istovita ca iarna,

si acum trebuie sa continue sa mearga

printr-un vis indestructibil

care nu aduce nicio scapare

3

Asemenea unui vis

pe care l-ai uitat pana dimineata

dar care nu te iarta,

fiul mort, tatal pe moarte din nou,

cosmarul

care atarna greu dincolo de pleoape

care se intuneca ore intregi in ciuda soarelui, a luminii artificiale sau a iubirii regasite,

astfel incat vocea de la telefon din seara aceea

nu poate fi crezuta, vederea

de pe plaja insulei din Thailanda,

cu data mazgalita, trebuie c-a fost cenzurata, emailul care confirma sosirea ei,

falsificat, si singurul lucru

care poate inlatura indoiala

este un alt vis pe jumatate uitat,

nedorit, involuntar, dar suportabil de asta data

4

Precum catamaranul imponderabil

care aluneca printre nenumaratele focuri

care se sting si se aprind pe marea calda

la izvorul unei dimineti

hotarate sa ne ia ochii

si sa risipeasca toate urmarile norilor

in timp ce darele scurte ale iahturilor

ies la iveala si-si incearca norocul

sa potoleasca nelinistea dezlantuita

dezvelite de vantul domolit

motoare amortite torcand catre soare

in timp ce echipajele plutesc printre vieti

5

Ca noi peste sarea vietii,

inotand pe marea zbuciumata

imbaiati de soarele coplesitor

care imbratiseaza umbra de sub pini,

curatati de forma, redusi la o linie

astfel incat recunoasterea arunca masca,

si vrabiile ciugulesc dunele

si mustele zboara peste nisip,

iar noi urmam instructiunile

ascunse pazei de coasta

care le-ar lua numai drept harti

desenate pe sticla din care moartea face oglinda,

si aici ne vom afla drumul

in timp familiile se plimba

in barci cu pedale saltelele de plaja se desumfla la amiaza

si ziua luceste translucid,

luam calea dintre nori

si ne imaginam ca raspandim lumina

pana ne multumim cu zambetele

care n-au alt pret decat ele insele.