Repetition Nineteen. Mónica de la Torre

and see two lights,

      two sons and three.

      Three is peace and security,

      an accomplice or an enemy.

      Three books open, three grains of salt.

      Four times a name and nothing said.

      Four is the same as two.

      And if you ask five times

      What am I doing here, burning your bed,

      let it burn and go.

       The Poem Is Titled Equivalencies

      There’s some silence, the serving of something that’s bitter,

      I know that.

      And there’s something inside something else.

      There’s two roads from a source and—

      wow, my memory these days!—

      Oh yeah, your eyes are closed during a nap.

      Yeah, mirror something, there’s two somethings.

      There’s two lights and two boys and then there’s three.

      There’s three open books and three grains of salt.

      And there’s something else I didn’t understand.

      And some complicit enemy.

      Four times I call your name and nothing.

      Four times is the same as two times.

      Five times, or the fifth time, is the same.

      I call your name, and… I don’t hear you.

      I’m sensing that the person to whom the poem is addressed

      is as distracted as I am right now.

      Someone isn’t listening to something.

       Equivalent Equivalence

      A mute flare-up

      a sip of coffee before the bitter one knew about it.

      A hole inside a whole two roads

      and a pair of sleeping eyes.

      How many mirrors are there too?

      The afternoon tumbles and two lights pop out

      two children passing as tú.

      3 space guarantee

      the promise of a complex and an enemy

      free open books, 3 grams of salt.

      I said four asterisks and named nothing.

      What is the same as ______ ?

      Yes, 5 times you wonder what I do here?

      Light your bed on fire, let it combust and divide itself.

       Like in Valencia

      The silence of Esmeralda.

      The sorbet at the café is superior.

      The oil at the dentist was relaxing.

      The two roads were doubly tragic.

      The serrano peppers caused me to take a long nap.

      The quantity of spectators was twice as large.

      The guy was a little slow on Sunday.

      The two eels seem like three.

      Three in space is guaranteed.

      Whoever is complacent with me is my friend.

      Three books that have beards

      look grand in the sun.

      Four as a number is nothing.

      Four amuses two.

      Five is a vessel.

      Something to do with water….water is the key to five.

      Camel to camel, they like to eat green.

       Your Turn

      ‘The quiet before an announcement.

      A mouthful of coffee.

      Then the acrimony—the acrimony!—in such bitter substitutions.

      At the pass there were two roads.

      I closed my eyes and speculated if they were mirrored.

      Not to say that I took this to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence, like in the tome.

      My reflection lacked such polish.

      One thing was clear: all three of them had parents.

      Peace, security, sure. But also accomplices, enemies.

      Call them what you will.

      Collaborators, cronies, reciprocal minions, nursing their resentment.

      A symbol, a distinctive designation, an epithet, even a record.

      When anything could be a name, two people might as well be four.

      What to do here?

      I’m no baker.

      I could make you a place in which to lie.

      Please let me burn.

       Picture Character

      Finger pointing up. Zipper-Mouth Face,

      and an angular burst of orange and red in star-like shape.

      Scrunched Eyes after a hot beverage.

      A heavy large red circle that stands for what is correct in Japan.

      There is room inside of rightness for what is right.

      A Pedestrian faces two motorways.

      Eyeballs shut turn into Sleeping Face.

      A selfie of a selfie leads to question mark.

      Night sky, two light bulbs.

      Family: Man, Woman, Girl, Boy, followed by number three.

      Dove, ring,

      Grinning Face with Smiling Eyes. Pouting Face is snubbed.

      Three books plus saltshaker.

      Four clocks show different random times.

      Speaking Head emits registered sign, then empty speech balloon.

      Four equal sign two.

      Five clocks show different random times.

      Thinking Face, index pointing to a world map, question mark.

      Flames plus bed, plus flames and more flames

      and person running with large stride and arms outstretched.

      If has no pictogram.

       Same As It Ever Was

      One. A pregnant pause. A flash in the pan.

      One sip of whiskey, then the burn in your throat.

      A redacted redaction.

      Two options, one fate,

      someone dozes in the middle of the day.

      Where’s