Calmivin 漏
By Daniel Aristi
San Sebastian, Spain, 1977
So many hours crafting each & every weapon in me
At age six, at age seven.
I walk to school today firing my fists in the air,
They got rocket boosters at the wrist, to punch through giant robot foes and Maribel,
A friend of my mom鈥檚, worried, calls her in the evening.
Calls her still revolving numbers (there were colonies)
Calls like Queen Mother.
Back then children who acted different
It was hip to dub 鈥渉yperactive鈥�, and God had no part in it.
Maybe taking Calmivin 漏 would do me worlds of good, she said.
Of course she鈥檚 no doctor, and no mother, and no nothing, and
Nada de nada de nada,
And the conversation is skidding on black ice.
Eventually, mom reaches a compromise over the phone: her friend is of good will 鈥�
Been like this since the war, and because of it 鈥� and Calmivin 漏 does work
But not all the time.
* * *
Tantas horas creando todas & cada una de las armas en m脙颅
A la edad de seis, a la edad de siete.
Hoy camino para la escuela disparando mis pu脙卤os al aire,
Tienen cohetes en las mu脙卤ecas para perforar gigantes robots enemigos y
Maribel,
Una amiga de mi mam脙隆, preocupada, la llama a la noche.
La llama girando n脙潞meros todav脙颅a (hab脙颅a colonias)
Llama como la Reina Madre.
En aquel entonces ni脙卤os que actuaban diferente
Era la moda llamarlos 鈥渉iperactivos鈥�, y Dios no ten脙颅a arte ni parte.
Quiz脙隆 tomar Calmiv脙颅n 漏 me har脙颅a much脙颅simo bien, dijo ella.
Por supuesto no es m脙漏dico, ni madre, ni nada, ni
Nada de nada de nada,
Y la conversaci脙鲁n patina sobre un hielo negro.
Finalmente, mam脙隆 alcanza un compromiso por tel脙漏fono: su amiga es de buena intenci脙鲁n
鈥� ha sido as脙颅 desde la guerra, y a causa de ella 鈥� y Calmiv脙颅n 漏 funciona
Pero no siempre.