Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Francisco X. Alarcón - Listen/Escucha

Listen/Escucha
by
Francisco X. Alarcón

Listen

“listen, mijito
we are never
really alone”

whispers
my grandma
to my ear

like a flapping
hummingbird
in the dark

“the wind
the stars
the sea

never stop
speaking to
each of us”
Escucha

“escucha, mijito
nunca estamos
solos en realidad”

me susurra
mi abuelita
como colibrí

aleteando
junto a mi oído
en la oscuridad

“el viento
las estrellas
el mar

a cada uno
no nos dejan
de hablar”

© 2010 Francisco X. Alarcón. All rights reserved.

Francisco X. Alarcón is an award winning poet, a college professor, and someone who can write his poetry in either English or Spanish (or both), for either children or adults (or both), and about whimsical topics or pressing issues of the day (or both and everything in between!).  Please check out the Poetry Makers profile at the Miss Rumphius Effect for more insights into his writing process and poetry. I'll wait here, because I have a story to tell. You're back? Great!

When I first started gathering books for the school library I've helped build, I got a large donation from a couple that was closing a school they'd been running. One of the books I got was Bellybutton of the Moon (illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez), and it became a favorite of mine on reading number one. On reading three, I happened to notice that it was signed to the couple's son, so I got in touch to see if this was really something they'd intended to give me or if their son might, in fact, want it back. Of course he wanted it! I mean, I wanted it already, so I was not surprised. I mailed it back then went on my own quest to get a copy for the library... where it was one of the very first books I shelved. So for that reason, as well as the fact that I'm just plain old a fan, I must say I'm absolutely thrilled to have Francisco X. Alarcón here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, we saw Sounds Delightful by Graham Denton. Tomorrow... Reflecting by Liz Garton Scanlon! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.

6 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Ooh, this is truly beautiful, in Spanish or English. I can imagine it performed in a readers' theater style.

And I love that the word "whispers" in Spanish is susurra. That is absolutely perfect.

Anonymous said...

Oh my. Beautiful poem. I want to whisper it into the ears of my grandchildren. Thank you.

_Great_ story on how Belly Button of the Moon became part of your library collection!

carolgrannick@att.net said...

Lovely, lovely.

Jane Heitman Healy said...

I completely agree with the previous comments, and would add what a wonderful writing prompt. What are the wind, the stars, and the sea saying? Write your own poem telling us the answer.

Flying Selki said...

Beautiful poem and great side to side layout!

gillian said...

Greg,
You are a treasure. Sincerely. I have read your blog for years. You inspire me to write at home. I have never posted a poem. Maybe next year. Maybe this year I won't be so shy at SCBWI-LA to say hello to a very generous man.
I wrote a few poems for April and practiced my Spanish on this lovely one.
Again, Thanks,
Gillian