palavras que circulam

sem cruzar os lábios

poderão sair falar nas mãos

suadas unhas grossas ou arranhões

que dirão redondas ou agudas

novelos de lã panos de seda

ásperas que arrepelem e arrepiem

pancadas secas cobram no olhar

deixando a noite tomar conta dos caminhos

voltam de onde saíram agora lavadas

lavradas limadas pelas asperezas do caminho

regressarão completas?

dirão os mesmos sinais

que as uniam antes da viagem?

2.

olha-me para estas cores

escutei num longe feito perto

no fundo plano branco

havia traços e linhas redondas

alguém riscara e aí circulavam

pontas de lápis canetas paus de giz

não me falavam das cores

que insistias que eu visse

apesar da contraluz ou do reflexo

que o espaço ao fundo mantinha

mas tu continuavas a leitura

e o brilho das tintas não mudava

e seguiste ao longo das horas do dia

o sol rodava e com ele as sombras

e as cores nasciam do nada

e davam vida às linhas e aos círculos

da monotonia

só mais tarde me dei conta que a cor

da palavra mudava inventada

na luz dos teus olhos e no calor da tua voz

João S Martins

2022

1.

words that circulate

without crossing the lips

may come out speaking in hands

sweaty thick nails or scratches

that will say round or sharp

rolls of wool silk cloths

rough that bristle and shiver

dry blows charge in the gaze

letting the night take over the paths

they return from where they came from now washed

plowed filed down by the roughness of the road

will they return complete?

will they say the same signs

that united them before the journey?

2.

look at these colors

I heard in a distance that was close

on the flat white background

there were traces and round lines

someone scratched and there circulated

pencil tips pens chalk sticks

they didn’t tell me about the colors

that you insisted I see

despite the backlight or the reflection

that the space in the background maintained

but you continued reading

and the brightness of the ink did not change

and you followed along the hours of the day

the sun turned and with it the shadows

and the colors were born from nothing

and gave life to the lines and circles

of monotony

only later did I realize that the color

of the changed word invented

in the light of your eyes and in the warmth of your voice