The Childhood Of Herberto Helder Poem by José Tolentino Mendonça

In the beginning was the island
although it's said
that the Spirit of God
hugged the waters

In those days
I'd lie down on the ground
to look at the stars
without ever thinking
that those bodies of fire
might be dangerous

In those days
I plotted the stars' coordinates
by lining up marbles
on the grass

I didn't know that every poem
is a tumult
that can upset
the order of the universe now
I believe

I was almost an angel
and wrote rigorous
reports
about silence

In those days
it was still possible
to find God
in the wastes

That was before
I learned algebra

Translation: 2006, Richard Zenith