Blinds
By Luis Benitez (Translated by Prof. Araceli del Luján Lacore)
Every night you tell me
to pay the greatest attention
to make sure the blinds are properly closed.
The pleasant aroma of dinner
has not faded yet
our eyes are still closed
inside this dream.
But before that
it is necessary
to repeat that daily precaution
not because of the sporadic attack
of the wind and the rain
or because of the next sun.
The blinds must be properly closed
so that nothing stands in our way
like an insect carrying on its legs a foreign poison
something that cuts or obstructs the bridges
we have so carefully built
over all these years together.
Luis Benítez was born in Buenos Aires. His 45 books of poetry, essays, and fiction have been published in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Venezuela, UK, USA and Uruguay. According to the London-based Ars Notoria Magazine, he is considered one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Argentine poetry and a leading figure in the genre throughout Latin America.