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      October 28, 2022Six PoemsKarmelo C. Iribarren

      Answers
       
      What others look for
      in the moon
      or the stars
      I look for
      in the rain
      between streetlamps at night.
      But no luck.
      Most likely
      we’re just not asking right.
       
       
       
       
      The Horizon
       
      It makes sense for it
      to blush
      before it goes:
       
      it lies to us the whole day long.
       
       
       
       
      Sunday
       
      There it goes,
       
      calling it
      a day,
       
      the last
      train.
       
       
       
       
      A Beggar
       
      He appeared
      to regard me
      from a great distance,
       
      though we were
      barely
      a meter
      apart:
       
      I, standing up.
       
       
       
       
      This Morning
       
      This morning,
      after showering,
      before the mirror.
       
      Suddenly
      —as real and overwhelming
      as ever—
       
      the word decline.
       
       
       
       
      Poetry
       
      The autumn has come
      and poetry will soon follow.
       
      Shorter days and gray skies
      —which are what she likes—
      will bring her back home.
       
      Now I just have to wait and,
      when she knocks, let her in.
       
      The pain of your absence
      won’t make her want to leave.
       
       
      Translated from the Spanish by John R. Sesgo

      from #77 - Fall 2022

      John R. Sesgo

      “A former bartender and bar owner, Karmelo C. Iribarren writes poems that are simple, sharp-eyed and true. His unassuming lines seem written off the cuff, but are, in reality, expertly crafted: the ‘carpentry’ of his poems (as he puts it) hinges mostly on internal slant rhymes, ‘which the reader hears but rarely notices.’ Alongside his poetry, Karmelo has also published an ever-growing collection of aphorisms, one of which sums up perfectly the tone and appeal of his work: ‘It’s all been said a thousand times, and better. But not like this.’”

      Karmelo C. Iribarren, born in San Sebastián, Spain, worked—and wrote his poems—as a bartender in San Sebastián’s Old Town for over twenty years. He has published thirteen collections of poetry, most recently El escenario.

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