I Wish I Were an Echo

By Gabriela Anaya Valdepeña


Once, my wishes were selfless;
But I stopped wasting them on the world.

I only wish now to be an echo.

If I could give my words anything,
it would be fingers.

I can’t explain to you why
I prefer midwives to physicians.

But if I ever give birth again,
it will be upright,
holding on to the limb of a lotus.

The best prisons are those
in which a prisoner is given freedom,
for in confusion lies enslavement.

May I be your fiancé again?
Being a wife has turned my eyes gray.

I am in love with circles,
suspicious of corners, because
they are the first place
someone looks for you when you hide.

I am in love with clocks,
especially on towers,
I trust what they say.

I cannot trust mirrors or pictures.

It is difficult to gauge my own face.

For every bad thing I hear,
I must tell myself two good things.

If I were an echo,
I would become what I speak.