In the Cold Ground (Tom Waits)
/Edgar Rincón Luna
But there is something that keeps you close to heaven
the eyes of lonely women
the pores of the smoky street
snow, rain, glasses
and small stones
buried in your knees
dust in the memory of a river
shadows of children playing
with the ashes of their grandparents
there is no hell
only the punishment of being able to despise
all that is light
what is voice speaking
what is word
~
translated by Toshiya Kamei
In the Cold Ground (Tom Waits)
Edgar Rincón Luna
pero hay algo que te mantiene cerca del cielo
los ojos de las mujeres solas
los poros de la calle humeante
la nieve, la lluvia, los vidrios
y las pequeñas piedras
enterradas en tus rodillas
polvo en el recuerdo de un río
sombras de niños jugando
con la ceniza de sus abuelos
no hay infierno
sólo el castigo de poder despreciar
todo lo que es luz
lo que es voz hablando
lo que es palabra
Édgar Ricón Luna
Born in 1974 in Ciudad Juárez, Edgar Rincón Luna is a poet and graphic designer. He has authored the poetry collections Aquí comienza la noche interminable (2000), Puño de whiskey (2005), and Trenes para demoler un río (2015). Translations of his poems have appeared in Beyond Baroque, Hunger, and The Bitter Oleander, among others.
Toshiya Kamei holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Arkansas. He is the translator of books by Claudia Apablaza, Naoko Awa, Liliana Blum, Selfa Chew, Espido Freire, and Leticia Luna.
