The Gold Rush (I) Poem by Emanuel Pope

I dreamed you were a woman with a body of water

nymph swimming through a tumultuous mountain stream

and I was getting on shore,

carefully seeking,

your hands inside you.

At hand I already had,

ready,

the hunters' sieve treasure

when your heart like a lively fish

slipping into fear

in the hollow of my hands

See, unlike poetry,

in a dream anything is possible!

then without thinking

I jumped the way I were

half human-half earthly beast

in the midst of an absurd vortex

with my hands still holding tight

interwoven,

your heart...

was free beating again,

inside you

and its every whisper

was reverberated into a water spun

into my whole body

with the power of a shockwave

You see, in dream it is possible!

As an easy game, cradled by

you, by her and by waters

-time didn't matter-

I liked your new approach, interesting

to talk to me and reflect into my face

although I was listening to you

from under large rocks, rounded by river

ripples of laughter

in a way that made me honestly ashamed downright.

And somehowto defend myself

I remember only repeating in my mind:

''this is the only way I'll be able to know happiness'

''this is the only way I'll be able to know happiness'

''this is the only way I'll be able to know happiness'

in dream it's possible!





Translated by Daniela Bullas