(i)
Creyó que era un ángel.
Tuvo suerte.
Resulté
ser un fantasma.
****
He believed I was an angel.
He was lucky.
I happened
to be a ghost.
****
(ii)
Terminarás aprendiendo
–yo te enseñaré–:
Lo más difícil
de todo
es desaparecer.
****
You will end up learning
— I will teach you–:
Most difficult
of all
is to vanish.
****
(iii)
A plena luz
los fantasmas
son más visibles.
Sólo los ángeles
buscan la noche.
****
In broad daylight
ghosts
are most visible.
Only angels
seek the night.
****
(iv)
¡Aprovéchate!
Los fantasmas
sí
tenemos
sexo.
****
Be cool!
As yes,
we ghosts
have
sex.
****
(v)
Te asustarás
si ves un fantasma.
Pero preocúpate
si es
un ángel
lo que ves.
****
You’ll be scared
should you see a ghost.
But you should worry
if it´s
an angel
you see.
****
(vi)
En caso de duda
levanta la sábana
del fantasma.
A veces debajo
se esconde
un ángel.
****
In case of doubt
lift the sheet
from the ghost.
At times beneath
hides
an angel.
****
(vii)
Los ángeles
siempre
regresan
al
lugar
del
crimen.
****
Angels
always
return
to
the scene
of
the crime.
****
Javier Díaz Gil, Madrid, 1964. A Bachelor in Geography & History, with a diploma in General Education Teaching. Until 2006, co-founder and director of the literary magazine Rascamán. For over ten years he has supervised Creative Literature Workshops. Director and moderator of the cycles Escritores en la Biblioteca (“María Moliner” Library). He has published the poetry books Humo, granted the Humberto Tenedor award, Abarán, 2000; Hallazgo de la visión, granted the Nicolás del Hierro award, Piedrabuena, 2000. In 2006 at Santiago de Chile he took part in the Latin American poetry meeting “Poquita Fe” and in 2007 at São Paulo (Brazil) in the “Festival de Tordesilhas”. His poems have been published in literary anthologies and magazines such as Poeta de ©abra (Madrid), Luces y sombras (Tafalla), sèrieAlfa (Valencia), Cuadernos del Matemático (Madrid) o Celuzlose (São Paulo). He was selected at the “Diputación de Badajoz” 2008 Experimental Poetry Award, nominated for the 2010 Addison de Witt Poetry Award and awarded the 2013 “Manzanares el Real” Poetry Award. His poems have been translated into English, Portuguese and Catalan. A member of the Society of Spanish Writers & Artists, since 2006 he chairs the weekly literary gathering Rascamán held at the Café Ruiz in Madrid. His blog can be found at http://javierdiazgil.blogspot.com
***
Robin Ouzman Hislop (UK) Co-editor of the 12 year running on line monthly poetry journal Poetry Life and Times. (See its Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry_Life_and_Times). He has made many appearances over the last years in the quarterly journals Canadian Zen Haiku, including In the Spotlight Winter 2010 & Sonnetto Poesia. Previously published in international magazines, recent publications include Voices without Borders Volume 1 (USA), Cold Mountain Review, Appalachian University N Carolina, Post Hoc installed at Bank Street Arts Centre, Sheffield (UK), Uroborus Journal, 2011-2012 (Sheffield, UK), The Poetic Bond II & 111, available at http://www.thepoeticbond.com and Phoenix Rising from the Ashes a recently published Anthology of Sonnets: http://bit.ly/1lIL0jF. He has recently completed a volume of poetry, The World at Large, for future publication. He is currently resident in Spain engaged in poetry translation projects.robin@artvilla.com and you can also visit Face Book site at www.facebook.com/PoetryLifeTimes
Amparo Arrospide (Argentina) is a Spanish poet and translator. She has published four poetry collections, Mosaicos bajo la hiedra, Alucinación en dos actos y algunos poemas, Pañuelos de usar y tirar and Presencia en el Misterio as well as poems, short stories and articles on literary and film criticism in anthologies and both national and foreign magazines. She has received numerous awards. Together with Robin Ouzman Hislop, she worked as co-editor of Poetry Life and Times, an E-zine.