Mario Meléndez
Beyond the guitar
the blood is sketching out a violent music
and the singer's head is filled with holes
and with kisses that smell of death
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Mario Meléndez was born in Linares, Chile in 1971. He studied journalism at the University of the Republic of Santiago. He has published several books including, "Apuntes para una leyenda" (Sketches for a Legend) and "Vuelo subterráneo" (Subterranean Flight). In 1993 he received the Municipal Literary Prize on the Bicentennial of Linares. His poems have appeared in several literary magazines in Latin America as well as national and international anthologies. At the beginning of 2005 he was published in the prestigious literary magazines “Other Voices Poetry” and “Literati Magazine”. Also during 2005 he received the “Harvest International” prize for the best poem in Spanish, which was awarded by University of California Polytechnic. His work has been translated into several languages including English, French, Portuguese and Persian. Currently he works on the “Fiestas del Libro Itinerante” project.
Information found at https://www.los-poetas.com/m/mario.htm
MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE
My sister woke me up quite early
that morning and told me
“Get up, you have to come see this
the sea is full of stars”
Amazed by such a revelation
I hastily got dressed and thought
“If the sea is full of stars
I should catch the first plane
and collect all of the fish from the sky”
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BEYOND THE GUITAR
To Victor Jara
Beyond the guitar
lie the separated hands of the fatherland
a sound of wings that smolder
and burn my shoes
an invitation to urinate on the earth
with the purified seed of his song
Beyond the guitar
the blood is sketching out a violent music
and the singer's head is filled with holes
and with kisses that smell of death
Beyond the guitar
the paths are crying
the rain is crying and falling to its knees
because the son of the land
will not complete his journeys
Beyond the guitar
beyond the explosion
that extinguished their hearts
beyond this poem
and with that unforgettable wound
of an unforgettable time
their eyes search for Victor
beyond the guitar
of his fatherland.
-Poems translated from the Spanish by Andrés Alfaro