The truth is that I fall in love
so easily because

it's easy.
It happens

a dozen times some days.
I've lived whole lives,

had children,
grown old, and died

in the arms of other women
in no more time

than it takes the 2-train
to get from City Hall to Brooklyn,

which brings me back
to you: the only one

I fall in love with
at least once every day—

not because
there are no other
 
lovely women in the world,
but because each time,

dying in their arms,
I call your name.

^{translated by Francisco Aragón}

your eyes show me how to see again
like mirrors of water, understanding all,
there’s no mystery they can’t solve—
a single glance is more than enough

your eyes see, listen, touch, speak.
are beacons on the horizon
shedding light on shades of life
beyond the reach of words

so I start to read your body,
pausing at every mole, as if
they were commas or periods

how I love to scribble on your chest,
use the muscles on your back as lines—
you and I are both page and pen

Sonetos a la locura y otras penas, III

tus ojos me enseñan de nuevo a ver
como espejos de agua todo lo entienden,
no hay enigma que no puedan descifrar
pues le basta y sobra una mirada

tus ojos ven, escuchan, tocan, hablan,
son faros de luz que en el horizonte
alumbran la realidad de la vida
que queda más allá de las palabras

ahora me pongo a recorrer tu cuerpo,
le doy lectura a cada lunar tuyo
como signo de pausa y punctuación

cómo me gusta escribir en tu pecho,
tener por renglones a tus dorsales:
tú y yo somos tan pluma como página