Lima, City with the Stretched out Wings [In English and Spanish]

Lima,
City with the Stretched out Wings

It's an ink-black night: no stars: a moon in sight

Just dots of: red, green and white-white lights

As the plane descends, descends, slides down
On the long-drawn-out-spun-out lingering city of lights
Uneven as a crumbled cake, lit up like a Christmas tree-

The sleepless city, with its stretched out wings

Stretching from the mountains to the sea-
Winding through the valley's, forests, and streams
Stretches, stretches its naked wings-endlessly

As,

I'm descending, down, over and around the city
(descending, descending, and sliding to the ground)

The city with stretched out wings-and endless lights
Down, behind, around, the ground, it's immune to me
I'm just part of its evening, a baptism in its inky sea

Invisible people: cats, dogs, birds, and rats-infinite

Uncountable: dots; streams of lit dots, dot-lights;
People: walking, talking, sleeping, eating by the dots
People: waiting, killing, robbing, praying, by the dots

For tomorrow, tomorrow and another tomorrow

They say-:

you are ruthless, and I know this to be true

And they tell me you have thieves and murders-

And this, I dare say-but shall-is also true, very true
But show me a city to the contrary of eight-million-?
I shake my fist and say: '?show me! But no one does'

So alive, so brave, with strong and hungry hearts;

I say, show me one that sings in poverty and smiles
Prove me one that celebrates year-round of its heroes
Show me painters that are as good-that sell on streets-

As good as: Picasso, Dali, Rembrandt, and Yang Yang

And that welcomes the world with stretched out arms-

Show me all this, or some of this, and I will say no more

With this,

I descend to its streets, its crowed winding streets

As well as, to its neighborhoods with dust and soiled air,
And hear the laughs of the children; the dogs on roofs
Sights of the shoe-shiners: men and boys, in the parks

And the numerous food carts; -- musicians, paper sellers

And with its naked featherless wings, covering all

-My Lima, Peru with its renowned Cathedral:

Golden yellow with towering crowns, and

Within its plaza-square, a water fountain-celebrated.

Under its sins, with its wrinkled aged men, lovely women,

They all stand tall and bow to its Inca history, its glory-
Its world that once ruled all, like the Roman Empire,

Like the American Dream, they were the noble, the kings

And now, from drudgery and toil, sweat and strive, all, all Grinding, grinding away, each and everyday, lover of the, King of Kings: Jesus Christ-this is the Lima I know today; a mighty ship that has already sailed the seven seas, now resting!?

Spanish Version

Lima,
La ciudad con las alas extendidas
Translated by Rosa Peñaloza

Esta es una noche oscura: no estrellas, ni luna a la vista

Solo puntos: rojo, verde y blanco-luces blancas

Mientras que el avión desciende, desciende, bajando
A la larga-extendida-plana persistente ciudad de luces
Plana como un panqueque, encendida como un árbol de navidad-

La despierta ciudad, con sus alas extendidas

Extendidas desde las montañas hacia el océano
Zigzagueante a través de los valles, bosques y riachuelos
Estirando, estirando sus alas desnudas-interminables

Mientras,

Voy descendiendo, abajo, por encima y alrededor de la ciudad
(Descendiendo, descendiendo, y deslizándose a la tierra)

La ciudad con las alas extendidas-y luces interminables
Abajo, Abajo, detrás, alrededor, la tierra, es inmune a mí
Sólo soy parte de esta noche, un bautizado en su oscuro océano

Invisible: gente, gatos, perros, pájaros, y ratas, infinidad

Incontables: puntos, riachuelos de luz, puntos de luz;
Gente: caminando, conversando, durmiendo, comiendo bajo los puntos de luz
Gente: esperando, matando, robando, rezando bajo los puntos de luz

Por mañana, mañana y otro mañana

Ellos dicen--:

Tu eres implacable, y yo se que esto es verdad

Y ellos me dicen tú tienes ladrones, y muertes-

Y esto, me atrevo a decir, que esto también es cierto, muy cierto

Pero muéstrame una ciudad de ocho millones contraria --?
Sacudo mis puños y digo: "?muéstrame," pero nadie lo hace

Tan viva, tan valerosa, con corazones fuertes y hambrientos:

Digo, muéstrame una que canta en pobreza, y sonríe
Pruébame una como esa, que celebra alrededor del año a sus héroes
Muéstrame pintores tan buenos-que venden en las calles-

Tan buenos como: Picasso, Dali, Rembrant y Yang Yang

Y que recibe al mundo con extendidos brazos

Muéstrame todo esto, o algo de esto, y no diré mas

Con esto,

Desciendo a sus calles, atiborrada, zigzagueantes calles

Así como su raro vecindario con polvo en el aire
Y oigo la risa de los niños, los perros en los techos
Vista de los lustrabotas, hombres y muchachos, en los parques

Y los numerosos carros de comida, músicos y vendedores de periódicos

Y con su desnuda y desplumadas alas, cubriendo todo

-Mi Lima, Perú, con su renombrada catedral:

Amarilla dorada con su coronadas torres, y

Dentro de su plaza cuadrada, una celebrada pileta

Bajo su piel, con sus arrugados ancianos, tiernas mujeres,

Todos ellos parados altos, y reverenciando a su historia inca, su
gloria-
Su mundo que una vez gobernó todo, como el Imperio Romano

Como el sueño de América, ellos fueron los nobles, los reyes

Y ahora de pesadez, y esfuerzo, sudor, lucha, todos, todos extenuados, fatigados, este y cada día, amantes del Rey de los Reyes: Jesucristo-esta es la Lima que conozco, hoy; un poderoso barco que ya navegó los siete mares, ahora descansando?

Author/Poet Dennis Siluk, web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

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