Keeping Quiet
by Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fisherman in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

—from Extravagaria (translated by Alastair Reid, pp. 27-29, 1974)

Today: A Poem

Today
Somebody bombed the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day
And created a new sense of insecurity in the world
And my officemate had a liver biopsy
But his partner told everybody the docs were just “checking under the hood”
And after discussing the incompetence of our I.T. person
We all decided I should contact the Executive Director about the problem
So I did
And it was tax day
So I wrote a check for $378.00 and mailed it while whispering
“I love my neighbor”
And we finally got our first look at the new kittens
There are four and I want to bring two home so they can grow up together
And Roberto isn’t speaking to anybody at the office because
I emailed him asking him to please not sexually harass me anymore
And Alan took me to dinner at Tacomania
Where we saw Jesus and the waitress whose name I can’t remember
And our friend Kathryn gave us amazing purple irises
And talked of what she wants to do with her backside and his frontside
And Lee doesn’t know the results of the MRI
Which will show him the extent of the damage done to his knee
And Joseph didn’t have enough money to buy his honor cords
So he checked out of school early
And I got the report turned in today
I hope I didn’t forget to include important information
And the new girl snapped at me early this morning
But later she visited with me and I felt like everything was ok.

Lauren Zuniga re: Personhood