LatinosUSA

photos by Helen Pletts, translation into Chinese by Yongbo Ma

the white blossom gathers us on the branches and surges,
other white signals blink and quiver
we dive in amongst them,
our petal faces gill-pale, our gentle fragments unravelling

(Helen)

We whitewash the petals to match the last snowfall.
Our lies now unravel and shatter our sleep.

We ignore signals that time marches onward.
We tell ourselves we’ll never die like the blossoms.

Tomorrow may come, leaving us in the soil
where we are covered by flowers and leaves.

(Nolcha)

What signal is this, that comes as ghosts upon the whole tree?
It startles us in secret, lets a part of us rise light as air,
like another kind of white petal, while what remains
is still heavy, like a black claw, hurrying across the silent seabed.

(Yongbo)

the spiralling language of the sea is only light viewed from below,
continuously rising above the spur of a black claw,
once again in the branches light is another imitator of softness
and gentleness, peeling herself open in tiny blushes

(Helen)

~~

在我们张大的嘴里，一片洁白

洁白的花簇将我们聚拢在枝头，涌动，
另一些白色信号闪烁和颤抖
我们沉潜其中，
我们的花瓣面容苍白如鳃，温柔的碎片缓缓舒解

（海伦）

我们将花瓣刷白，与最后一场落雪相配。
我们的谎言如今正在解开，粉碎我们的睡眠。

我们无视时光向前行进的信号。
我们告诉自己，会像花朵一样永不凋零。

明日或许降临，将我们留在泥土中
任花叶将我们覆盖。

（诺尔查）

这是什么样的信号，竟以满树幽灵的形式出现
让我们暗暗吃惊，让我们的一部分轻盈地上升
如同另一种白色的花瓣，而剩余的部分
依然沉重，像黑色的爪子，匆忙掠过沉寂的海底

（永波）

大海盘旋的语言，不过是自下而上看到的光，
不断从黑爪般的岩脊之上升起，
光再一次化作柔软与温存的摹本，
在枝桠间，以细碎的红晕，缓缓绽裂自身。

（海伦）