Four Poems

Blanca Garnica

translated by

Camille Gagnier

Two ripe plums hang from a tree branch — Photo: Domeckopol/Pixabay

6

His under-
wear
white

Armpits
spotless
and collar
neat

From Monday to Monday
he is like that
because the drainpipe
carries off
the rest.

12

Before me
their feet advance
they pass
they push
they pound
the elephants

At my core
and just
below my breasts
grief begs
to be cauterized.

13

With every gulp
of air
she breathed
his hands

shattered
in a thousand mirrors
to prevent it

She
took refuge
in the bushes
between cantos
but still the Cyclops’
stone
caught her.

67

I look openly:
he stows
his heart
in his pocket

Today
my cheeks
are taut
like plums.

Translations from the Spanish

Blanca Garnica (b. 1944, Cochabamba) is a Bolivian poet and teacher of literature. She has published twelve collections of poetry, and her poetry has appeared in numerous national periodicals and anthologies. In 2017 Garnica was honored by the Cochabamba International Book Fair for her contributions to Bolivian literature.