Déjame que te cante
una canción de esperanza
Allow me to sing you
a song of hope:

That frigid winter morning
when Carlos left his house
and crossed the withered field,
it could have been
the last day of his life
or the beginning.
The slender figure
in the fine blue mist,
was it his cancer
coming back to kill him
or el amor de su vida?
She pulled back with one hand
her brown wool hood
and instead of empty sockets,
he saw two coal black eyes
consumed with love.
One role of the dice
had made all the difference.
He gathered her in his arms
as swiftly as the campesinos
collecting the last gleanings.

(originally published in Buenos Aires Reader)