from As Long As Trees Take Root in the Earth and Other Poems

This piece by Alain Mabancko is translated by Nancy Naomi Carlson

here’s where the tree will tell us 
the depth of the ground
the rooting of our dreams 
the muffling of our dead 
from packing the ages
down to the dawns of used-up days

the house is half-crumbled 
the roof destroyed
by the winds
but nighttime shadows look after 
what’s inside
the rafters resist termites 
the fig tree thrives
soursop ripens in September 
and grass grows again
with the first rains

the signal comes from the hills 
let’s lay down our weapons
at the foot of the age-old tree

let’s forget the blind resistance 
being organized day and night 
in lantana fields

Read more from Issue 18.1.