Another April, Too Cruel José Mármol

 

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“Another April, Too Cruel” by José Mármol, translated by Eileen O’Connor

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Sep 16, 2025 at 6:07 AM

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September 16, 2025 donate Another April, Too Cruel José Mármol translated from the Spanish by Eileen O’Connor      To all the victims of the collapse     of the Jet Set, in memoriam A smell of recently scattered benzene, of the defeat of the landscape in the middle of a clear night, of the condemnation of life, its silhouettes, its sorrows. Words fail to find support in words, and silence becomes a treacherous sonata in a dance of laments. A pain silently cuts, like lightning, I sense it, the arc in which the vowels placed their accents. And prayer is drowned, and breath forbids itself that sigh, that of the quiet goodbye, that of the cry unburied amid the rubble. It was the reaper, fierce plane in hand, arriving dizzily, without a trace of remorse, to level the party, to slash smiles, desires. Stupor, diffuse rage, resentful humiliation of the most devious fate. There is no needle, no knife, rusty dagger, stingray’s edge that could deepen the wounds where it hurts most. The 7th passes as always, wrapped in mystery. The 8th arrives, bloodied, made of fear, drunk with terror, in the cruel month of April, that of the weak lilacs on the wounded earth. Flowing with rage. Overflowing with stupor. In familiar sadness, the hours grew slower, the early morning dew more humid, the sea’s crooning more solemn and bitter, to find in their faces the reckless siege, incomprehensible and sullen, the indecipherable call of requiem and death.     Otro abril, demasiado cruel       A todas las víctimas del desplome     del Jet Set, in memoriam Un olor a benceno recién diseminado, a derrota del paisaje en plena noche clara, a condena de la vida, sus siluetas, sus pesares. Las palabras no consiguen apoyarse en las palabras y el silencio se convierte en aleve sonata de una danza de lamentos. Un dolor recorta mudo, como un rayo, lo presiento, el arco en que asentaban las vocales sus acentos. Y la oración se ahoga y el aliento se prohíbe a sí mismo aquel suspiro, el del adiós tranquilo, el del llanto insepulto a pesar de los escombros. Era la parca, garlopa fiera en mano, llegó vertiginosa,  sin algún remordimiento,  para asolar la fiesta, destajar las sonrisas, los anhelos. Estupor, rabia difusa, ignominia resentida del destino más artero. No hay aguja, no hay puñal, herrumbrosa daga, filo de mantarraya que ahonde las heridas allí donde más duele. Pasa el 7 como siempre arropado de misterio. Llega el 8 ensangrentado, hecho de susto, ebrio de espanto, en el cruento mes de abril, el de las lilas débiles sobre la tierra herida. Frondoso de rabia. Rebosado de estupor. En tristeza conocida fueron más lentas las horas, más húmedo el rocío de la madrugada, más grave y amargo el canturreo del mar, para hallar en sus semblantes el asedio temerario, incomprensible y hosco, el llamado indescifrable del responso y de la muerte. Copyright © 2025 by José Mármol. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on September 16, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets. more poetry listen today’s poem read weekly newsletter learn literary seminars about this poem “This poem draws upon T. S. Eliot’s famous line to mourn the victims of one of the deadliest (and preventable) nonnatural disasters in the history of the Dominican Republic. On April 8, 2025, the roof of the iconic Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed, killing two hundred and thirty-six people and injuring more than one hundred and eighty others. Mármol creates a container for grief and indignation, while simultaneously acknowledging the failure of language to express or remedy pain. Instead, the poet allows silence to sound through sensory impressions that invite loss to move through the body, where mourning can happen without the need for words.” —Eileen O’Connor José Mármol, born in Santo Domingo, is the author of thirteen books of poems and eight books of essays. His awards and honors include the Salomé Ureña de Henríquez National Poetry Award, the 2013 Premio Nacional de Literatura [National Literature Prize], awarded annually by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture, and the 2012 Casa de América Prize for American Poetry from Spain. Eileen O’Connor is a translator, writer, and teacher from Boston. Her translations from the Spanish include the poetry collections Pez [Fish] by Mariela Dreyfus and Harbors of Light by Marjorie Agosín. O’Connor has taught Spanish, translation, and writing at Harvard University, Wellesley College, and Lesley University, and is currently a Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar in the department of Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American studies at University College Cork. related poems “Graves We Filled Before the Fire” by Gabrielle Calvocoressi read more “Breaking News” by Dora Malech read more this month’s guest editor Thanks to Nathalie Handal, author of Volo (Diode Editions, 2023), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Handal’s curatorial approach and find out more about our Guest Editors for the year. support poem-a-day “Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you. donate Copyright (C) 2025 The Academy of American Poets. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: The Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane STE #901 New York, NY 10038 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

My thoughts

 

Solutions beyond the obvious

 

THE SWASTIKA,

THE SWASTIKA,

 

THE EARLIEST KNOWN SYMBOL, AND ITS MIGRATIONS;
WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE MIGRATION OF
CERTAIN INDUSTRIES IN PREHISTORIC TIMES.

 

Meaning of the swastika for Hindus

Derived from the Sanskrit word “svastik” meaning maker of goodness, good luck or wellbeing (sva meaning good and asti meaning prevail/exists and ka meaning to make) it also translates as pure and auspicious. It is believed that a person who regularly uses the swastik in daily rituals and worship will be bestowed good luck, well-being, peace, harmony and positivity.

In fact, for many Hindus, the swastik is used in every household ritual (puja). It is commonly made of sindoor or kumkum (red powders). The symbol of the swastika is believed to bring power and shakti to the house. Its shape releases positive energy particles that provide spiritual protection and remove obstacles and negative energies.

There are several theories (as expected!) as to what the lines on the swastika could possibly represent, however most theories have some sort of tie to the natural world and the forces at work inside it –

1. No matter what angle you view the swastik from, it always looks the same. For this reason, it is considered a symbol of the sun. According to Hindu belief, the way the sun rises every morning without fail and then always sets in the evening is like the way the swastik symbol never loses its form, both represent the concept of infinity.
2. The swastik signifies continuous​ progress and holds the ability to never change.
3. Its arms, bent at right angles, symbolise the eternal cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction.
4. The four arms of the swastik that bend towards the right are a symbol of the God Vishnu (108^th) and the Sun, while if reversed to face toward the left the arms represent Kali and Magic. Goddess Kali is a deity known for her protective and destructive forces.
5. The four arms that bend towards the right also represent the never-ending birth cycle, when a circle is drawn around the swastika, it represents Surya the Sun God – the ultimate source of light, heat, and energy for the universe.
6. Together with Lord Ganesha (the elephant headed God), the remover of obstacles, it is considered an embodiment of prosperity and good fortune.
7. The swastik encapsulates the divine vibrations of the most sacred sound of Aum. In Hindu philosophy, Aum is considered the cosmic sound, representing the ultimate reality, consciousness, and existence. The swastik, with its distinct arms and angles, visually embodies the vibrational patterns of Aum.
8. The four branches of the Swastik are believed to represent the fourfold principles of divinity

9. central point of the Swastik is believed to represent the navel of Lord Vishnu, from which Lord Brahma was born.
10. The four Yugas (a cyclical age of humanity measured by spiritual wisdom) – Kali Yuga (now), Dvapara Yuga, Treta yuga & Satya Yuga.
11. The swastik is one of the 16 sacred marks on the feet of the Supreme God, Narayan, according to the Puranas (ancient Hindu scriptures. In the Padma Purana, Brahma talks of these signs and the swastik is part of the eight special signs on the right foot, making the swastik a symbol of Divinity.
12. It represents the north pole and the rotational movement of the earth around its axis.
13. It may have been created to represent the belief that the cosmos was pulled by four heavenly horses who were known to revolve around a fixed centre point in a clockwise rotation