there will be singing in the morning
and singing in the night singing in the days
of want and singing in the days of plenty
singing alone and singing with ghosts
singing old songs and singing new songs we
will remember songs we haven’t heard yet
songs that haven’t been dreamt yet songs no
one has found the words for songs sung on
the road and songs sung in bed songs sung
while weeping and songs sung while waiting
songs for breath and sun and light and
moon and earth and water songs for
sustenance we will sing impossible songs
indecipherable songs songs that cannot be
heard and songs that cannot be shared
we will sing songs without words silent songs
and screaming songs songs that tremble and
songs we can embrace
song and i live in
each other’s skins song and i breathe each
other’s breath take refuge in each other
passing silver fire light between each other’s
lips hot and cold at once naming and un-
naming freeing ourselves taking wing song
and i spiraling in the sky i would like to die
singing let there be song in my throat
spilling out let my last breath be song
(first published in the online journal, Rabbit and Rose, Issue 02)
by ire’ne lara silva
ire’ne lara silva is the author of ani’mal, INDIGENA, and furia, (poetry) and a collection of short stories, flesh to bone, forthcoming from Aunt Lute Press. ire’ne was recently named the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s Gift of Freedom Award, and she is a co-coordinator for the Flor De Nopal Literary Festival.
On Saturday at the Gallery at San Antonio Central Library, ire’ne lara silva will read as part of the CantoMundo Reading. Other readers include San Antonio Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Deborah Paredez, Celeste Guzman Mendoza, Gloria Amescua, Amalia Leticia Ortiz, and Emmy Perez.
Free; 2pm Saturday, April 6, Gallery at San Antonio Central Library, 600 Soledad, (210) 207-2500, mysapl.org
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2013.