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.

Dana Constantinescu

Michael Curtis

Safe Harbour

1

A invatat devreme, zambetul acela,

s-a folosit de lume

S-o imblanzeasca si s-o convinga.

L-a exersat in fiecare dimineata

Linistindu-si copiii,

Invatandu-si sotul sa se poarte frumos,

il afisa in fiecare seara

intr-o incapere cu barbate veseli,

l-a invatat sa castige bacsis la bar,

il lasa sa fluture de pe buzele ei

spre obraji ridicati si falci inclestate,

ii colora vorbele cu alb si rosu,

il exploata neglijent

il lasa sa se joace cu o suvita de par,

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

pana cand nesatule nopti

l-au sters de pe fata-i perfecta

si i l-au furat din privire

2

Asa ca asta seara

E pagubita

De lumina din ochi

Iar zambetul

Odata firesc

Cand ne aprindeam lumanarea

Dureaza zece secunde ca sa apara

In timp ce se indreapta spre masa noastra

Din incaperea din dos.

Vara ei lunga si usturatoare

A facut luna august

Sa fie greoaie ca iarna,

Iar acum trebuie sa-si mentina pasul

Printr-un vis neintrerupt

Fara scapare

3

Ca visul

Pe care l-ai uitat pana dimineata

Dar care nu te uita pe tine,

Fiul tau mort, tatal tau murind din nou, cosmarul

ce staruie in mintea ta

norul care dureaza ore intregi in ciuda soarelui,

lumina artificiala sau macar o iubire trezita, asa ca vocea de la capatul firului din seara aia nu poate fi crezuta, vederea

cu o plaja din Tailanda,

data mazgalita, trebuie sa fi fost cenzurata, e-mail-ul care-i confirma sosirea

falsificat, si singurul lucru

ce poate stinge indoiala

e un alt vis amintit pe jumatate,

nedorit, involuntar, dar de data asta lumina

4

Ca un catamaran imponderabil

Ce incaleca nenumarate incendii

Stingand si luminand marea cea calda

Intr-o dimineata

Resorbita in ochi uimiti

Si eliminand toate efectele norilor

In timpul desteptarii yachturilor

Se dezvelesc pentru a-si incerca norocul

Si-si domolesc neincetatul zbucium

Dezvelite de vantul obosit

Macarale desirandu-se inspre soare

In timp ce echipajele plutesc intre vieti

5

Ca noi in amarul vietii,

Innotand in marea-nvolburata

Stand la soarele ce ne acopera

Imbratisand umbra pe sub pini,

Descotorosit de forma, redus la o linie

Ca recunostinta sa fie deghizata,

si ciocul vrabiei si darele de vrabie

iar mustele de nisip zboara deasupra nisipului,

iar noi urmam instructiunile

tinute ascunse de vamesi

care le-ar confunda cu hartile

pictate pe sticla cu mercur mortal,

si aici ne vom gasi calea

in timp ce pedaleaza familii de cate cinci

crinii stau la pamant ziua

iar ziua straluceste in raze sidefii

vom naviga printre nori

si ne vom inchipui spre luminand

pana ne vom multumi cu zambete

ce nu ofera nimic in schimb.