February 1, 2017

Three Poems by Edilson Afonso Ferreira: "Ready by Dawn," " No More," and "Comrades by the Journey"

Edilson Afonso Ferreira, 73, is a Brazilian poet who writes in English rather than Portuguese, having been published in venues like Right Hand Pointing, The Lake, The Stare’s Nest, The Provo Canyon, Red Wolf Journal, Whispers, Indiana Voice Journal, Synesthesia, Algebra of Owls and some others. Ferreira lives in a small town with wife, three sons and a granddaughter Has been recently nominated for The Pushcart Prize.




Ready by Dawn

“Genesis 01.01 – And the earth was without form, and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”


Wisdom and reason come from different steps
and sometimes the first is full nescience.
Through our lives we go struggling and learning
to sharpen our working and reasoning tools.
Time upon time and suffering upon suffering
our race has become ever better and better.
Some have reached a high degree of knowledge
and refinement but many yet lay at low a level,
deserving our respect and our support.
Even God has begun His creation on zero stage,
from the darkness he bequeathed us full light.
And until today all nights, taught by our Lord,
spin on an old loom weaving, ready by dawn,
pure light never tired to glorify and bless
this saint shrine we call earth.




No More

No more guys and girls happily driving
   open-air convertible cars on weekends
   free of seat belts tethering their bodies,
   sweet winds swaying, fighting and playing
   with their loose hairs.
No more
   children walking on the streets to school,
   carrying their notebooks in their arms,
   not in backpacks and not on buses.
No more
   bicycling around only by pleasure,
   without protective helmets and gloves.
No more
   family sitting on the front porch after dinner,
   sharing the latest neighborhood news.
No more
   walking in the fields under the moonlight.
No more
   fresh milk bottles delivered at house, but
   milk boxes at immense supermarkets, with
   sleepless cameras furtively watching over us.
No more
   letters, no business letters, no love letters,
   only e-mails to be lost in the cyber space.
No more
   people greeting each other, even without
   knowing themselves.
No more
   parents and all sons and daughters together
   going out at night, also together to the church
   all Sunday mornings, and, every night, sleeping
   at home at the same time.




Comrades by the Journey

On streets and alleys, squares and corners,
roads, meadows and mountains,
walking or anchored in the sun, moon, rain
or snow, on the good mood; sometimes by
a mood swing, we go discovering new friends.
Attracted by the similarities or else curious
for the differences, we enrich our mind and
happy dip into other tastes and treats, which
always alleviates our day to day.
Some of these friends, in due time or even
instantly, are chosen to be our lovers;
this is the natural way of things and
we must not deny it.
But, friends or lovers, we must not forget
to take them from our conquered mind,
yet conquered spirit, to the inner of heart
and feel if it remains in peace.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit”, our Lord said,
and I dare to say: blessed are the rich in the heart!


Edilson Afonso Ferreira

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