Cordova. A few days ago, the poets Bernardo Schiavetta and Aldo Parfeniuk presented the book “FAUNA-Lords of things”, by Silvia Barei, Rosalba Campra and Nelson Specchia. It is a French-Argentine co-edition, from the publishers CLARICE poetry and Reflet de Lettres.
In his speech, the poet Aldo Parfeniuk stated: “This book could also be three books, one by each poet who is presented here as co-author. If I had to present each of the three books I could rehearse something of the usual: interpret and try to explain something from each poem, section or the entire book; or suppose some more or less hidden or manifest objective. But I think that this would betray one of the important things that this work pursues. These voices are united by something more than the same title or general theme: poetizing – which for me is singing – in a trio. And they do this by responding to a concert structure, which opens with a Welcome, closes with a Farewell and in the middle of it four movements sound: I- MYTHOLOGIES OF THE NEW EARTH, II- WINDOW TO OTHER HEAVENS, III – MINIMALIA and IV- BICHERÍO.
“Each movement consists of poems by the three poets, but without us knowing on the page who wrote that poem (we will know this by reading the index at the end of the book). Personally, reading each poem, I imagined that I was only hearing a voice in a dark room. For the reader, this book is an invitation and a challenge that – within the little that can be done in graphically published poetry – is an original and creative experience,” said Parfeniuk.
“In this book, animal beauty is shown and celebrated, its place in nature is revalued, its extermination is described and denounced, and warnings are given and premonitions are risked: all configuring a totality that suggests the will of an original classificatory logic and complete knowledge. : both theoretical and experiential. The whole constitutes an inspired and rich “zoogony” encompassing skies, lands, seas, deserts, forests and jungles: real and/or imaginary.
Poem “The Imperfect Life” by Silvia Barei
If it is true that there are gods
and there are fairies and ogres
Yes it is true that there are angels
and that all the little wolves are good
that fire purifies
and the sky usually turns into water
that time can be wasted
or win it
and there are words that shelter.
I beg
on knees
/in this courtyard of scorched air/
for the puma and the peccary
for the quirquincho and the turtle
by the viper and the corzuela
for the espinillo and the talita
by the ferns and the carob
by the stones of the river and its strange persistence
for the humble house and the bread oven.
I beg
on knees
in this town without asphalt or coats of arms
let the hands of the arsonists burn
let the darkness and betrayals run out
May the lies fall without time.
Let the cloud and the water come
the sweet color of the ashless afternoon
twilight with birds
walking without time
the few words with which we understand each other.
The imperfect and present life.
