Electricity, 1876
When I came to, in that year
of bamboo, then carbon, then
filament, I learned to make
my own light. At night, my breasts were incandescent,
soft as white spotlighted jades.
And the school girls who knew
how to see in the dark brought me
back in their arms. We set up our atelier in the city’s
reddest section. We plied the marquee
makers with our sugared tips, took
their likenesses with powdered flash;
some took their last names. I just held their trembling faces.
When the men changed, grew
more famous still, we painted our faces
in an electric gold the blind could see.
And Tesla hung our brothel lights, made our copper eggs
stand on their ends – but I took Edison
to my bed. For him, I coiled a wet-
licked curl and buried it in a bulb,
I pressed my hands together. The city smoldered, then burned.
of bamboo, then carbon, then
filament, I learned to make
my own light. At night, my breasts were incandescent,
soft as white spotlighted jades.
And the school girls who knew
how to see in the dark brought me
back in their arms. We set up our atelier in the city’s
reddest section. We plied the marquee
makers with our sugared tips, took
their likenesses with powdered flash;
some took their last names. I just held their trembling faces.
When the men changed, grew
more famous still, we painted our faces
in an electric gold the blind could see.
And Tesla hung our brothel lights, made our copper eggs
stand on their ends – but I took Edison
to my bed. For him, I coiled a wet-
licked curl and buried it in a bulb,
I pressed my hands together. The city smoldered, then burned.
Electricidade, 1876
Quando vim, nesse ano
de bambu, depois carbono, depois
filamento, aprendi a fazer
a minha própria luz. À noite, os meus seios estavam incandescentes,
macios como brancos focos de jade.
E as colegas de escola que sabiam
como ver no escuro trouxeram-me
de volta nos seus braços. Estabelecemos o nosso atelier na mais vermelha
secção da cidade. Fizemos os montadores
de toldos com os nossos sinais de açúcar
de toldos com os nossos sinais de açúcar
conquistámos
as suas semelhanças com o flash
em pó;
algumas ficaram com os seus apelidos. Eu apenas segurei as suas caras trementes.
algumas ficaram com os seus apelidos. Eu apenas segurei as suas caras trementes.
Quando os homens mudaram, cresceram
ainda mais famosos, pintámos os nossos rostos
com um eléctrico dourado que um cego podia ver.
E Tesla pendurou as nossas luzes de bordel, manteve os nossos ovos de cobre
E Tesla pendurou as nossas luzes de bordel, manteve os nossos ovos de cobre
nos seus terminais – mas eu levei Edison
para a minha cama. Por ele, encaracolei um cabelo na boca lasciva
e encasquetei-o numa lâmpada,
Comprimo as minhas mãos. A cidade abrasada, a seguir ardida.