“These are my joys. I have counted them and I believe they are all there. Take them. Sing to them in your nights, toss them in your seas, let them die on your lips. These are my sorrows. I haven’t been able to count them, but I know they follow me faithfully. Take them. Let them fertilize your earth, let them leaven your bread, let them blaze in your fire. This is who I am. I am one with my darkness. I am complete. And since I weigh so little, lay me on your heart, for I have no other pillow, and no other dream.”— Dulce María Loynaz, tr. James O’Connor, Absolute Solitude: Selected Poems; “LXX”
