Why do this?

My father, José Luis Villamizar Melo, passed away in my home town of Cúcuta, Colombia, in August last year. The law and economics were Dad's profession, but literature, history and academia his passion. He wrote and published several books, articles and book chapters. The thing is that so many people have missed out on his work, particularly on his beautiful poetry, which he wrote in Spanish prior to the world wide web. So I thought, what a better way to keep Dad's legacy alive than to bring his writing beyond his world and share it with mine. That is why I am translating over 250 of my Dad's poems to English and publishing them here, one a day, Monday to Friday during 2011 (Dad, a family man, always believed that you shouldn't work on weekends).



Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Travels (Los viajes)

The sky was grey and jelly-like this morning, just like I was feeling inside.  Much to think about, so many things I want to fix, so many others I wish I could just wash away.  I feel better now, but for how long?  From my Dad’s book Urgent poetry (Poesía de urgencia).

Travels (Los viajes)

Invisible passenger, partner
in this jelly-like day, grey.
The hills pass by our side,
the trees, the river, the shadow green,
accomplices that know the destination
of our swift and triumphant course.

Not a single word nor why or where
just like if everything had been tailor made to
the measurement of our excitement.

The road finally comes to an end
and we are the owners of a small world
under the intimacy that surrounds us.

Back on the road, now on the way back.
And the gap that you filled so many times,
invisible passenger, partner
in this jelly-like day, grey.

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