The Cactus
That cactus recalled the despairing gestures of marble:
Laocoön strangled by the serpents,
Ugolino and his famished sons.
It called to mind also the dry northeast, the parched wilderness, the bush.
Laocoön strangled by the serpents,
Ugolino and his famished sons.
It called to mind also the dry northeast, the parched wilderness, the bush.
It was enormous, even for this land so monstrously fertile.
One day an angry gust uprooted it.
The cactus fell across the street,
Demolished the eaves of the houses across the way,
Obstructed the passage of streetcars, automobiles, wagons;
Tore down the electric wires, and during twenty-four hours deprived the city of light and power:
One day an angry gust uprooted it.
The cactus fell across the street,
Demolished the eaves of the houses across the way,
Obstructed the passage of streetcars, automobiles, wagons;
Tore down the electric wires, and during twenty-four hours deprived the city of light and power:
It was beautiful, harsh, int ractable.