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Syndic Literary Journal

Then You Kissed Me

Written by Raquel Lanseros

Translated from Spanish by Gordon McNeer

Narrated by Bill Wolak

Spain

To celebrate our bodies, so full of the present moment

to smooth out their edges and unite them

in the infinite circle of our sap

we seek out each other’s form blindly

to fuse our abandoned skin

with the sacred murmurings of life.

You look at me overflowing with everything joy unites

casting back my blood to its origin

and my desire taken to the limit.

There exists no union more truthful

nor greater clarity in the substance

from which we are created.

This blessed fusion made from our entrails,

the permanent artery of our race.

Only those who have kissed know that they are immortal.

 

Raquel Lancers is one of the most awarded and recognized voices of contemporary poetry in Spanish. About 200 critics of more than 100 universities around the world have chosen her as the most relevant Spanish-language female poet born after 1970. Her last collection of poetry published in Spain entitled Matria won the 2019 National Critics Award.
Gordon McNeer is a poet, professor, and translator, who is of Mexican-American descent. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Spanish and his Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Princeton University. His area of specialization is the Spanish lyrical tradition, with a concentration in contemporary Spanish poetry.

 

 

 

 

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