02/10/2022
My friend, the poet Donna Snyder, died 10/2/11 in El Paso, TX. I had a twenty minutes conversation with her a few days ago. The rapidity of her decline was surprising to me. Chimbarazu Press had the privilege of publishing her second poetry book, Poemas Ante El Catafalco: Grief And Renewal. I loved working with her. She was a multifaceted person and her poetry reflected her complexities. However, her poems are accessible and universal. She shared one of her last poems (if not the last) to be published: When The Boddishattva Cried which she wrote when already terminally ill. It can be found at Mago e-Zine (magoism.net) I translated it into Spanish for her birthday and she said she really liked it. I’m happy she enjoyed this first draft: I tried to be as literal as possible to replicate the directness of her language. I’m grateful she enriched my life (and the lives of so many others) so much. Ji Jang Bosal, Donna.
When the boddhisattva cried
O Lotus that blooms from a tear of compassion
fill the air with your intoxicating scent
Remind us
that anywhere there is concern or sympathy for others
clear water blooms
When the bodhisattva saw the suffering of humanity
a tear formed a lake of pure water
From the clear fresh water grew a single Lotus
From that Lotus stepped the compassion goddess
O dear one, enlightened one
accompany me on this last journey of mine for I am scared
Outside my window the desert lies beneath a sun
killing those who suffer the weight of all civilization on their back
The air here is poisoned with toxins
The water is itself a miracle each time it appears falling over my fingers
yet is refuse recycled from the filth made by people just for the fact that they are human
I sit in a concrete shower
a stranger’s hand between my legs to remove the stink of my existence
and that hand is the hand of Tara
come to make my transition from flesh to ash peaceful and without pain
For that gift O enlightened one
you who saw the tears of the world and flew down to bring us beauty
I thank you
For each indignity I suffer let me see it as a gift
a signpost on my way to the other side
And let holiness lead me,
a craven and flawed creature,
the least of all these toiling and struggling souls
Let me find peace in the unknowing
Because a tear from the eye of a holy one baptizes me and protects me from all
-Donna Snyder
Cuando lloró el Bodhisattva
Oh Loto que floreces de una lágrima de compasión
llena el aire con tu aroma embriagador
Recuérdanos
que doquiera que haya preocupación o compasión por los demás
florece el agua clara
Cuando el Bodhisattva vio el sufrimiento de la humanidad
una lágrima formó un lago de agua pura
Del agua clara y fresca creció un solo Loto
De ese Loto salió la diosa de la compasión
Oh querida, iluminada
Acompáñame en este, mi último viaje, porque tengo miedo
Fuera de mi ventana el desierto yace bajo un sol
matando a aquellos que sufren el peso de toda la civilización a cargas
El aire aquí está envenenado con toxinas
El agua en sí misma es un milagro cada vez que aparece cayendo sobre mis dedos
sin embargo, es basura reciclada de la suciedad producida por la gente sólo porque son humanos
Me siento en una ducha de hormigón
la mano de un desconocido entre
mis piernas para quitar el hedor de mi existencia
y esa mano es la mano de Tara
que viene a hacer que mi transición de la carne a la ceniza sea pacífica y sin dolor
Por ese regalo, oh iluminado
tú que viste las lágrimas del mundo y bajaste volando para traernos la belleza
Te doy las gracias
Dejame ver cada indignidad que sufro como un regalo
una señal en mi camino hacia el otro lado
y deja que la santidad me guíe,
una criatura débil y defectuosa,
la más pequeña de todas las almas que se esfuerzan y luchan
Deja que encuentre paz en la ignorancia
Porque una lágrima del ojo de un santo me bautiza y me protege de todo
-trans. Wil Wynn
