July Poetry Manifestos (bilingüe, mira abajo 🙂
We have two great submissions, one from Spain and another from England! Let’s dig into the work of these excellent poets in the order they were received.
Manifiestos Poéticos de Julio
Tenemos dos contribuciones fantásticos, ¡una de España y otra de Inglaterra! Vamos a investigar el trabajo de estos poetas excelentes por el orden en que llegaron al buzón.
From Spain/De España:
Manifiesto Poético
De cara al sol, de frente y bien erguido,
Con ganas de algún mundo conquistar,
Pongo sobre el papel palabras que he escogido
Para darle sentido a mi pensar,
Para desglosar versos pasajeros,
Imágenes, siluetas en el mar,
El mar en charcos chungos callejeros
Pero siguen siendo mar.
Escribo lo que veo cuando amanezco,
Sin molestar y sin desayunar,
Tranquilo en el verano permanente de mi caminar…
Francisco Bravo Cabrera, 11 de julio de 2020, Valencia, España 🇪🇸
Poetry Manifesto translation (by Rebecca)
Facing the sun head on, sitting up straight,
with a desire to conquer a world,
I put words I have chosen on paper
To make sense of my thoughts,
In order to dissect transient verses,
Images silhouetted on the sea,
The sea reflected in grungy street puddles,
Still, they remain the sea.
I write what I see when I awake,
Without disturbance and before breakfast,
Calm in the eternal summer of the path I walk…
–Francisco Bravo Cabrera, 11 July, 2020, Valencia, Spain
From England/De Inglaterra:
As the Whale sings so do I
————————————-
I send you my poetry
as the Sperm Whale sends her song
Out into the wide ocean
to listen for echoes, to hope for response
Her staccato clicks can be hunting for sustenance
but they also encode messages and love songs
I write as she sings, with the flow
poems gather, are born, cleaned and sung
Poems may sustain you or tell you a truth
–By Kim Whysall-Hammond, England
Como canta la ballena, así canto yo (traducido por Rebecca)
Te mando mi poesía
como la cachalote manda su canción
hacia el oceano ancho
escuchando por ecos, esperando una respuesta
Sus clics staccatos cazan sustancia
pero ademas codifican mensajes y canciones de amor
Escribo mientras ella canta, con su fluye
los poemas se juntan, nacen, limpios y cantados.
Los poemas pueden sostenerte o decirte un verdad
–Por Kim Whysall-Hammond, Inglaterra
♥♥♥
Thank you Francisco and Kim for your inspiring work! I hope they galvanized poets to submit poems for August’s Poetry Challenge. Gracias for reading Fake Flamenco! I appreciate you reading and your comments! ¡Olé! –Rebecca
¡Gracias a Francisco y a Kim por su trabajo inspirante! Espero que hayan galvanizado a más poetas presentar sus poemas para el Reto de agosto. ¡Gracias por leer Fake Flamenco! Aprecio sus comentarios y su lectura. ¡Olé! –Rebecca
Fake Flamenco 
I think this image will speak to other writers: “I write what I see when I awake,
Without disturbance and before breakfast.”
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Yes, morning pages are a common theme for prose and poetry writers. Many people feel freshest then; muse close at hand.
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I was just about to look for the deadline for July and saw I missed it…but I discovered these lovely poems! I really like the way they create word pictures of sensory experiences and I enjoy reading the translations too! Thanks
.
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Thanks for your comments, Susan! Hope you have time to send a poem in August. 🙂
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In principio erat verbum Suelto mi palabra como paloma o espíritu creador. Soy libre y volátil pasejera entre las nubes y el aire. Mi voz convoca el mar y la tierra pero también activa volcanes. Vuelo en círculos para anidar en sensibilidades. Es así como género el fuego de las emociones que crepitan sonrisas y bailan lágrimas en tangos interminables. Soy fuerza, soy verbo el Alfa y la Omega. Soy poesía principio y fin de la gesta creadora.
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Me encanta este poema de Mildred, de Puerto Rico! I like this poem very much by Mildred from Puerto Rico. Translated Text:
In the beginning was the Word (latin) I let loose my word like a dove or the spirit of creation. I am a free and volatile passenger through the clouds and the air. My voice summons the sea and the land, and activates volcanoes. I fly in circles to feather my nest in sensibility. That is how I generate the fire of emotions that crack smiles and dance in endless tearful tangos. I am powerful, I am the verb of the Alpha and Omega. I am first poetry and final creative gesture.
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A flamenco friend suggested I post this here
I Think Gestalt
I think what I love about poetry,
Is the spaces it creates.
Not only the scenery,
With the wild descriptions,
And the subtext messages.
But also the gaps of the story,
Filled in by the reader.
It is a sort of joint project,
The poet providing a phrase of context,
And the reader remembering the unsaid words.
In the end, the poem is true gestalt, more than the
sum of its parts.
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I read this poem on John’s site tonight and thought it was a great Poetry Manifesto. I invited him to post it on Fake Flamenco. Here it is, olé! Gracias!
Translation of poem:
Creo en Gestalt
Creo que lo que me encanta de la poesía es el espacio que crea.
No sólo un escenario con descripciones silvestres
y mensajes subtextuales ocultos.
Además hay los huecos de la historia
que los lectores llenan.
Poeta: ofrece una frase de contexto
Lector(a): se acuerda de las palabras sin decir.
Al final, el poem es un gestalt verdadero
más de la suma de sus partes.
[gestalt: concepto unificado que es más de la suma de sus partes]
Gestalt is a unified concept, more than the sum of its parts.
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You are amazing! And a “thought reader”! I really was just thinking what it would have been like in Spanish. My Castilian is from the 9th grade, so it’s not something I would attempt. Thank you!
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Gracias, John. I like to translate the poems so they all have a Spanish and English version. That’s part of my “building bridges” mission, to connect with poets of both languages. Glad you are pleased. : ) Rebecca
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There is a need for “the spoken word” in all languages. I volunteer to read and record poetry at http://www.voetica.com, but it is only English. A classic model of what a Spanish site could be.
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Great idea. Any readers know of a similar site in Spanish where poetry is read aloud? / Buena idea. Hay sitios semejantes en español donde leen en voz alta poemas?
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Whales are just so amazing!! Beautiful poetry!
🐋 🌟 🐋
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Thanks, I love whales and ocean gazing too.
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I notice that both the submitted poems refer to the sea. We live in a sea of emotions, experiences and words.
It’s great that there are more poems in these comments. And thank you for the translations! I’m having fun putting the translations back through Google translate..
😉
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Yes, seafaring poets! I was happy for the poems in the comments. Beautiful contributions. You’re welcome for the translations. Since I write them, I’m curious how the reverse translate turns out. Will look it up.
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My Tanka about Exmoor retranslated into English by Google has lovely phrases:
Clouds hug the closings
Sheep call for their deviant sheep
Deer runs through the haze
Wild ponies drink from a luminous stream
I miss Exmoor
—–however my sons are still laughing about “deviant sheep”
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Ah, yes, those deviant sheep! Ha ha ha!
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Baaaaaaaa…… (deviantly)
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Those are both amazing! Absolutely loved them both!
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Thanks, so fortunate to have these talented poets participate!
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