The Ofi Press Magazine
International Poetry and Literature from Mexico City
Poem by Mario Bojórquez (Mexico)
Translation by Don Cellini (USA)
Published in issue 40 of The Ofi Press
Statue of Liberty
todos tienen en su abrigo negro un botón es el botón del excuse me Avanzan en la acera repleta de Godiva Chocolatiers hasta Saint Patrick pronunciando entre dientes excuse me excuse me (Yo también he aprendido a decirlo pero aún no logro pronunciarlo con indiferencia me falta indiferencia) Cada vez que me topo con alguien digo excuse me pero busco la cara, trato de reconocer el rostro, el cuerpo, con el que he tropezado me falta indiferencia Por eso hoy, justo a la salida de Barnes & Noble he podido observar su bronceada figura el tacto solid brass de su piel tan pulida Excuse me, madame, he dicho los rayos de su corona han brillado para mí. | Statue of Liberty
On Fifth Avenue no one looks at anyone everyone has a button on their black overcoat it’s the excuse me button They advance along the sidewalk all the way from Godiva Chocolatiers up to Saint Patrick’s saying excuse me between their teeth excuse me (I have also learned to say it but I still can’t pronounce it with indifference I need indifference) Every time I bump into someone I say excuse me but I look at their face, I try to recognize the features, the body of whoever I’ve run into I need indifference But finally today, right at the exit of Barnes & Noble I observed her bronzed figure the solid brass touch of her polished skin Excuse me, ma’am, I said and the rays of her crown shown upon me. |
About the Poet
Mexican poet, translator and essayist Mario Bojórquez was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa on March 24, 1968. He is the author of several books of poetry and his work has received wide recognition such as the National Poetry Prize Clemencia Isaura (1995), the National Poetry Prize Enriqueta Ochoa (1996), the Abigael Bohórquez Poetry Prize (1996) and the Bellas artes Literature Prize and the National Poetry Prize Aguascalientes (2007) and the National Literary Essay Prize José Revueltas (2010). He has received grants for yourn creators from the National Institute for Fine Arts, from FONCA and DIFOCUR as well as the State Funds for Culture and the Arts of Sinaloa and Baja California. Since 2007 he has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte.
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Mario Bojórquez, poeta mexicano, nació en Los Mochis, Sinaloa el 24 de marzo de 1968. Es autor de libros de poesía y su obra ha obtenido diversos reconocimientos, como el Premio Nacional de Poesía Clemencia Isaura (1995), el Premio Nacional de Poesía Enriqueta Ochoa (1996), el Premio de Poesía Abigael Bohórquez (1996) y los Premios Bellas Artes de Literatura Premio Nacional de Poesía Aguascalientes (2007) y el Premio Nacional de Ensayo Literario José Revueltas (2010). Ha recibido las becas para jóvenes creadores del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, del FONCA y de creador con trayectoria de DIFOCUR, y los Fondos Estatales para la Cultura y las Artes de Sinaloa y Baja California. Actualmente pertenece al Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte.