translated from the Spanish by Jesse Lee Kercheval
I didn’t know it had rained,
and suddenly, stepping out into the street,
I found water on the leaves
and the asphalt wet and shining.
The paving stones washed clean and white
and the air light and so very clear.
Did no one see it fall?
Did no one see it?
No sabía
No sabía que había llovido
y de pronto, al salir a la calle
me encontré con el agua en las hojas
y el asfalto mojado y brillante.
Las baldosas lavadas y blancas
y liviano y clarísimo el aire.
¿Nadie la vio caer?
¿No la vio nadie?
Copyright © 2026 by Circe Maia and Jesse Lee Kercheval. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 6, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
