James Penha
2 Poems
Full Stop

“But there will always be night, won’t there, Brother?”
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, The Girl From The Coast

Curse the day that should not dawn
Curse it orange sunrise
Curse all birds that dare to sing
Curse the death of music

Curse the winners of the game
Curse those who beat the losers
Curse the rules and damn the die
Curse the spinning wheel

Curse construction
Curse enterprise
Curse success entire

Curse the conquered
Curse defeat
Curse the funeral pyres

Curse the rhythm
Curse the rhyme
Curse the loss of rhythm
Curse the metaphors

Curse the evening after all
Curse the inevitable dark
Curse tomorrow‘s fabrication
This night will have us lie



Hemispheres

My brother
loves the idea of me
now
I live in another world
far more
than he loves me
but that
is my idea.

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