translated from the Spanish by Ana Portnoy Brimmer
Silence is impossible in this century.
Everything howls. It has no way to flourish.
The wild animal of ourselves, this learned condition
growls relentlessly.
Might we then remove ourselves from the bustle.
Build a nest atop some lull
or find shelter that’ll hold
our anxious knowing, that we die
awfully small
awfully momentous
among endless noise.
Ruido
Es imposible el silencio en este siglo.
No tiene cómo darse. Es que tanto ruge.
Imparable ronronea la bestia que somos
la que hemos aprendido.
Será posible entonces ausentarse del bullicio.
Hacer nido en la pausa
o encontrar resguardo que acurruque
la ansiedad de sabernos morir
tan pequeños
tan importantes
entre tanto ruido.
Copyright © 2026 by Amanda Hernández, translated by Ana Portnoy Brimmer. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on September 18, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
