Mattia Tarantino

February 9, 2001 - Napoli
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I would like to look at the sky

I would like to look at the sky, but the stars
open my blood and disturb
the verses on the mouths of the dead:

tonight my mother will not participate
to the breaking of the bread, she will not allow
neither laughs nor prayers, she will turn
all the names down and override them;

tonight my father will not remember
all the times he guessed right, all the times
the word cut his word off.

Tonight I will take a needle to sew
my eyes on my mother's eyes,
a little knife to empty
my bones into my father's bones.

I would like to look at the sky, but the stars
I've got them in my teeth and they hurt.


(Translation from the Italian by Francesca Barresi)


Vorrei guardare il cielo, ma le stelle
mi aprono il sangue e disturbano
i versi in bocca ai morti:

stanotte mia madre non partecipa
al pane che si spezza, non consente
né risate né preghiere, capovolge
tutti i nomi e li scavalca;

stanotte mio padre non ricorda
quante volte ha indovinato, quante volte
la parola gli ha mozzato la parola.

Stanotte prendo l’ago e cucio
i miei occhi agli occhi di mia madre, prendo
un piccolo coltello e svuoto
le mie ossa nelle ossa di mio padre.

Vorrei guardare il cielo, ma le stelle
le ho tra i denti e fanno male.
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