by Adonis

I prayed that you would remain in the ashes

I prayed that you would not see the sun nor awaken–

We didn’t experiece your night, we weren’t taken to sea with the blackness;

I prayed, Phoenix

that enchantment is guiding and our encounter

is in the fire in the ashes,

I prayed that madness will lead us.

Translated with the help of Mirene Ghossein

by Adonis

For one more time for one last time

I dream that I fall in place–

I live in the island of colors

I live like a person

They are reconciled, the gods of blindness and the gods of vision

For one last time.

Translated with the help of Mirene Ghossein

by Adonis

I yield my days to an identity

rising and falling under my vessel

and I dig, in my eyes, my grave.

I am lord of the phantoms I grant them

my sex and yesterday I granted them my language

And I cried out to History, defeated

Stumbling, I tripped over my lips

And I cried out to the terror that burns

up the green trees in my lungs.

I am lord of the phantoms I hit them

and urge them on in my blood and my throat

The sun is a grave and I throw at it

my lariat and the wind is my hat.

Translated with the help of Mirene Ghossein

by Adonis

Yesterday underneath the eyesockets (the rock quarry) I traveled under the dust

so I heard our echo

and I heard the collapse of borders.

And I returned, and it is said I forgot there,

from amazement, my footsteps

My footsteps? Well, as if I saw them

free, moving between the arteries and between the lungs

And the curves (of the ribs) circulated and were led

shocked and curious

inside the waist in the skin

in the abyss, unseen

As if I saw them

after this return .

They continue, and don’t glance, my footsteps

Between us there is a language for distance we are ignorant of it’s expressions.

Translated with the help of Mirene Ghossein

You can see the full size here.

This took flipping forever and there are many things I’m not pleased with about it, but it’s done. My first-ever fully photoshop-colored illustration of this size and complexity. Whew.

Today’s finds?

Make The Road By Walking
Stay Free!
LaborArts
Left Turn: Notes From The Global Intifada
Art For Change
Dollars & Sense
OfficeOps
VisualResistance

Plus several additions to the blogroll to the right.

Help!

I’m drowning!

In celebration, I drew the Fantastic Four (I’m not done coloring yet).

I just bought a box of colored pencils (well, just bought a week ago) and yesterday I sat down to break ‘em in.

A lot of time spent sharpening. Basically, I’ve never used color before so I’m just trying to experiment over the course of the summer. One thing I’ve learned: white colored pencil just makes stuff look blurred (look at her right cheek) and is no replacement for just leaving white space (look at her lips or her neck just below and to the left of her jaw). My version is also really gaunt, sadly.

She is, of course, the lovely Paula Patton, from the cover of this week’s New York Times Style Magazine.