"if he exists," "tranced to riot," and "visit"
if he exists
his voice is
like himself
that’s all that’s known
if he exists
his saints’ glories
forgotten left in the vortex
the lost memories of his apostles
somewhere can be found
he might be the one who hid them
if he exists
only hypocrites
and sinners
who have nothing to lose
feel to praise him
now and again
and commit thorn-grinned deeds
in his name
before it disappears
the inclining sunlight
gleams through
the slanted shadow
of the overripened hay
tranced to riot
the colors look different today
the apples
the cherry
the quince
are on the wane
the acacia
the medlar
the pink and the yellow rose
are blooming
swallowwort
and lilac grow among
withering tulips
through the windblown three branches
these flowers
cast a vivifying
shadowy image
crowed of ants hide in their undergrounds lairs
their red wrinkled slave driver armies
are not marching to gain power
just yet
under the branches of jasmine bushes
doves and redstarts fight off the cats
with the help of a couple of blue jays
the meadow grass is colored
with sinless wild flowers
as the forgotten castaway
enters the gate
visit
broken mirror shards cast shadows
to the boot sole dirt covered
ant cleaved floor
mosquito and fly reamins stuck
on the wall
faces hidden on the cabinet door
stare
at the abandoned room
through the window gap
the wind fluent in every language
blows secondhand air
at the musty walls
whispers something
to the body-wrinkled bed
waits for no answers
and lashes itself
to the cracks on the door
Gabor G Gyukics (b. 1958) is a Hungarian-American poet, jazz poet, literary translator born in Budapest. He is the author of 11 books of original poetry, 6 in Hungarian, 2 in English, 1 in Arabic, 1 in Bulgarian, 1 in Czech and 16 books of translations including A Transparent Lion, selected poetry of Attila József and Swimming in the Ground: Contemporary Hungarian Poetry (in English, both with co-translator Michael Castro) and an anthology of North American Indigenous poets in Hungarian titled Medvefelhő a város felett. He writes his poems in English (which is his second language) and Hungarian. His latest book in English is a hermit has no plural (Singing Bone Press, 2015). His latest book in Hungarian was published by Lector Press in May 2018. Photo by Sándor Gyapjas.
