Astrid Soto
Owner of the ilustration
My first language is Spanish; however, I have made an effort to share with you, in our Lingua Franca, the most faithful translation of the original version. The poem is open to interpretation, but for those of us who enjoy a bit of background, I like to say that it’s inspired by those people who continually visit and live on in our memories.
English translation from original Spanish text:
Your memory is a restless guest, never at ease. It likes to wander sleepless nights, opening drawers, shaking off the dust that sometimes lingers within.
Time seldom presses its memory. In truth, it cares little for the hour— whether day or night— it sits at my table, arriving unannounced, lingering awhile, until it subsides, no longer unsettling as it wanders past, retracing fragments of a love brimming with embraces, questions and sarcasm, tenderness, and shelter.
I think it enjoys stirring up unsent letters, forgotten gestures, the words I kept for you, and the moments we chanced upon each other.
And like someone tending a withered garden with the same devotion once used to water its blooms, your memory rehearses the same routine every day.
Original text:
Tu recuerdo es una huésped muy inquieto que nunca guarda reposo. Le gusta pasear por las noches en vela, abrir cajones y sacudir el polvo que a veces en ellos queda.
A tu recuerdo, pocas veces el tiempo le apremia. En realidad, no le importa la hora, si es de día o de noche, se sienta en mi mesa y sin avisar sólo llega y deambula un rato hasta que cesa y ya no inquieta que venga y recorra a su paso pedazos de un amor lleno de abrazos, de preguntas y sarcasmos, de ternura y de resguardo.
Creo que disfruta revolver las cartas sin enviar, los gestos sin recordar, las palabras que te guardé y las coincidencias en las que te encontré.
Y como quien cuida un jardín marchito con la misma devociónque un día regó sus flores, tu recuerdo repasa todos los días la misma rutina.
