First published in Egret, Foster City, California: Press Here, 1989. Also published in Afagando a Face de Lorca [Stroking Lorca’s Face], edited by Francisco José Craveiro de Carvalho, Lajes do Pico, Portugal: Companhia das Ilhas [Island Company], 2020, pages 182 (English) and 183 (Portuguese translation by the editor). + + +

at a

station

near

the metro

petals

on a

brittle

dry bough

looking

for the

blossoms

of a

cherry

finding

pits

numa

estação

perto

do metro

pétalas

num

frágil

galho seco

à procura

das

flores

de uma

cerejeira

e a encontrar

caroços