Of yesterday and tomorrow

Made of wounds we are

and nobody ever tried to save

us even when we prayed

and hoped for what we didn't know.

you are where i will never be

and our merciful amnesia 

separated us forever.

we need another incarnation

to live what was lost

and gone even before

we discover each other's hand.

this is our incredible love story.

yes i miss what we've never had.

there is a word in my language

for my inexplicable weird longing;

saudade.

love the sibilant and the dental consonants here.

they explode in my mouth

as i bend, covering my face

because i can't stand witnessing

my own pain.

but tomorrow, maybe tomorrow

i might be half civilized

and know how to kneel down

when i pray for us.

can you hear me, god?

can you hear me, my love?

karla bardanza

Copyright©Karla Bardanza 2014