Painting Trains

绘画火车

….and other fleeting images

…以及其他转瞬即逝的图像

Poetry 

By M.J. Ippolito

2024

诗歌

作者：M.J. Ippolito

2024

1.

Radio Waves

Soundless illumination on a

Wave ripple.

Low frequencies melt

Into the permafrost.

Long, high fronds reaching

To pass with ease,

Through God-particles.

She said, “I gave you

The instruction book

Of ‘How To Love Me’

But you never read it.”

Red-shift me away…

无线电波

无声的光照在  

波痕上。  

低频消融  

进永冻层。  

修长的高频茎蔓伸展，  

轻易穿过  

上帝粒子。  

她说：“我给过你  

那本《如何爱我》的  

说明书，  

可你从未读过。”  

将我红移远离……  

2.

Earth Tones and Apples

Earth tones and apples,

Diamonds on Thursdays

Sell for a dime.

“Bianca, come out

Of the House of Horrors

This instant, and take

Your Indian name,

Or you’ll never

Slay the dragon”

Earth tones and apples,

Gypsies and gigolos roasting pigs

And witches.

Don Juan at the lighthouse.

“Jane, get your tattoo

And bag.

The train leaves the depot

For the theater, in an hour.”

Earth tones and apples,

Don Quixote at the helm,

Blinded by the light. 

色调与苹果

大地色调与苹果，  

星期四的钻石  

只卖一角钱。  

“比安卡，立刻  

从鬼屋出来，  

领走你的  

印第安名字，  

否则你永远  

屠不了龙。”  

大地色调与苹果，  

吉普赛人与浪荡子烤着猪  

和女巫。  

灯塔旁的唐璜。  

“简，去文身吧，  

带上你的包。  

一小时后，火车  

要离站开往剧院。”  

大地色调与苹果，  

堂吉诃德掌舵，  

被光刺盲。  

3.

Animism with

A Shot of Whiskey

A felled tree

Sounded.

One last tolling echo

Of Life/Death/Life

That spoke

Gloriously of standing.

A joy of years etched upon

This carved palette.

Time ascribed Eternity

Wailed audible

In the Scream of the Fall

泛灵论与一口威士忌

一棵倒下的树  

发出声响。  

最后一声回荡的  

生/死/生之钟鸣，  

它诉说着  

挺立的辉煌。  

岁月的欢愉蚀刻在  

这方雕木的调色板上。  

时间给永恒  

签下的契约  

在坠落的长啸中  

清晰可闻。  

4.

Lies

There have been lies

(I’m a crawfish

Slinking under

rocks.)

Old gloves

And boxes

Remember.

Didn’t give 

An inch.

(Several minnows pretend to be alive)

Swim.

Bette Davis’s “Blanche” plays on

In sepia. Mountains of film roll into

Water. Gathering in clumps like deer at

A fence; gathering guilt at bad

Decisions into my head.

Skipping stones into a blood red

Reflection.

We are all guilty

There have been lies.

Cuban cigarillos, Michigan waters.

Spring peepers deception. 

Tonight, Aristotle begins to bend

Into Perseid;

Calling out to Leonid.

Ancient shorelines shiver

And retreat by the by.

Lies.

It’s all lies. 

谎言  

有过谎言  

（我是只小龙虾  

在石缝间  

潜行。）  

旧手套  

与旧盒子  

都记得。  

未曾退让  

半分。  

（几条米诺鱼假装活着）  

游吧。  

贝蒂·戴维斯的"白兰琪"仍在  

棕褐胶片里演着。成山的胶片滚入  

水中。聚集成簇，如鹿群围在  

篱边；将错误抉择的愧疚  

聚拢到我脑中。  

把石子掷向血红的  

倒影。  

我们都有罪  

有过谎言。  

古巴小雪茄，密歇根湖水。  

春雨蛙的欺瞒。  

今夜，亚里士多德开始弯曲  

化作英仙座流星；  

向着狮子座流星呼喊。  

古老的海岸线颤抖着  

悄然退去。  

谎言。  

尽是谎言。  

5.

Passport/ Arbus

Daytrip

She takes me to a donut shop

Or a shopping plaza lot.

Watching, head down slightly,

I am a box camera

Taking mental images;

Color word pictures.

I peer through oncoming windshields

Reading peoples’ cat-faces.

She mocks my fear, 

Laughs like the wind.

And after, leaves me three pieces

Of pastel paper as a reminder that…..

F8

1/60th sec.

Is all the time we have. 

护照/阿勃丝

一日游

她带我去甜甜圈店  

或购物广场的停车场。  

低头微微注视，  

我是一部箱式相机  

摄取脑海中的影像；  

彩色的文字图画。  

我透过迎面而来的挡风玻璃  

窥看人们的猫脸。  

她嘲笑我的恐惧，  

笑声如风。  

而后，留给我三张  

淡彩纸片作为提醒……  

F8，  

1/60秒，  

就是我们拥有的全部时间。  

6.

She Moved To Ohio

Her hometown needed some

News to fill their loneliness.

So they packed her up with a

Small valise and waved goodbye.

They wished her well and waiting

For the morning paper,

Hoping they might read 

Something….anything

About her.

Because the colors of their dreams

Had all gone dry.

她搬去了俄亥俄

她的家乡需要些

消息来填满寂寞。

于是他们将她打包

带着小行李箱挥手告别。

他们祝她安好 然后等着

晨报送来，

期盼或许能读到

些什么...什么都好

关于她的消息。

因为他们梦的颜色

都已枯竭。

7.

Triple Crown

The Triple Crown freight train

Was invented in Logic.

A backdrop to a Cubist world.

Clacks off space-minutes,

In worlds of Cyborgs

Who daily deaths

Are never eulogized

Except upon broken keyboards.

Incense of these scribes’ rantings

Is potent; recorded, now as then,

On boxcar walls.

Trains leave no memories

Behind. 

三重冠

这列三重冠货运列车

诞生于逻辑之中。

立体主义世界的布景。

将空间分钟碾成咔嚓声，

在赛博格的世界里

他们日复一日的死亡

从未被悼念

除非在破损的键盘上。

这些抄写员狂言的熏香

如此浓烈；被记录，一如既往，

在货车厢壁上。

火车从不停留

记忆。

8.

Hymn to Frieda Kahlo

Blonde CORN rows   dissolve into

(Tobacco leaves) or (Springs)

Or (the next software).

Synchronicity exclaims animation

(A Mother-Unit in the mirror of

(Other) (Being) (Was)

I wish only that the heart

Could remain the heart.

(a butted idea, along with the

Cigarette;

THE VENITIAN BLINDS ARE

BLINDING.)

Frieda, your soft skirt

Silk, swaying, mother-motion

Is only corrugated cardboard

(now).

My mayan empire blushes,

Is imploded, collapses

Into the HEAT of battle.

Unending Braids

Cold crusades

BRAND

Like Endearing

Frieda, your soft legends endure

Sugarbear’s den.

Signed Your Lover,

Diego Rivera

致弗里达·卡罗的赞歌

金色玉米辫  消融成

（烟草叶）或（弹簧）

或（下一个软件）。

共时性宣告着动画

（一面镜子里的母体

（他者）（存在）（曾是））

我只愿这颗心

能永远做一颗心。

（掐灭的念头，连同

香烟；

威尼斯百叶窗

刺得人失明。）

弗里达，你柔软的裙摆

丝绸，摇曳，母亲般的律动

如今只是瓦楞纸板

（此刻）。

我的玛雅帝国羞赧，

内爆，坍塌

坠入战场的炽热。

无尽的发辫

冰冷的征途

烙印

如缠绵

弗里达，你温柔的传说永存

蜜糖熊的巢穴。

爱你的，

迭戈·里维拉

9.

Cleaning Closets

Between neckties

And Matchbox cars

Carnivores and

Wailing dinosaurs.

Time lives in boxes

Ascending into

Boxes of time.

Holding psychic debris.

A poem is dead

Before it is written

I’m glad I cleaned the closet. 

清理壁橱

在领带

和火柴盒汽车之间

肉食者与

哀嚎的恐龙。

时间住在盒子里

攀升进入

时间的盒子。

盛满心灵的残骸。

一首诗在写下之前

就已死去

真高兴我清理了壁橱。

10.

Dance Studio - 

Regression Episode

When I was in the painting

I wore ballet shoes.

D.H. always on my back;

Oscar at my side.

Andre just a child then,

Clinging to my bosom;

A male Gigi.

When I was in the painting.

Look, that’s me,

Dancing with Auguste.

舞蹈教室——回溯片段

当我还在画中时

穿着芭蕾舞鞋。

D.H.永远压在我肩头；

奥斯卡守候身旁。

那时的安德烈还小，

紧贴在我胸前；

像个男版琪琪。

当我还在画中时。

看啊，那是我，

正与奥古斯特共舞。

11.

When I Rage

Aloft on a tailwind,

Unfurling a sail.

Honeyed tongue,

Bells rung.

When I rage,

Doors unhinge,

Full force gale,

Dirges sung.

When I rage.

Ink on a page

当我暴怒时

乘风高翔，

帆布舒展。

蜜糖唇舌，

钟声敲响。

当我暴怒，

门扉脱铰，

狂风肆虐，

挽歌低唱。

当我暴怒。

纸上墨淌。

12.

Third Gear

Would that I

Could have

Forged the core

Of my being.

Rock hardened ore

Of my golden soul.

Alloyed tons of

Emotional guilt,

And built

A vehicle of escape.

三档

但愿我  

能锻造  

我存在的  

核心。  

我黄金灵魂的  

岩石般坚硬的矿。  

熔铸成吨的  

情感愧疚，  

打造  

一辆逃亡之车。  

13.

(from “Plastic Pink Flamingos”)

Standing in a dream of Cancun,

Paying taxes to Egypt.

Six to sevens.

So, drop dead.

I am Xena warrior in an Elvis bag

Meet my Snake pit here in Billings.

California waves hello,

Arizona, blues traveler.,

Thelma and Louise pass through Utah.

Isle waters roll up to Maine.

A French summer, “06.

Tuscany herbs, pink lemonade,

Spices.

$8 a gallon gasoline.

Conflicts of interest

Without words.

塑料火烈鸟（节选）  

站在坎昆的梦里，  

却向埃及纳税。  

六比七。  

所以，去死吧。  

我是装在猫王袋里的西娜战士，  

来比尔见识我的蛇坑。  

加利福尼亚挥手致意，  

亚利桑那，蓝调旅人，  

塞尔玛与路易斯穿越犹他。  

海岛浪涛卷至缅因。  

法兰西之夏，"06年。  

托斯卡纳香草，粉红柠檬水，  

香料。  

八美元一加仑的汽油。  

利益冲突  

无需言语。  

14.

Icebergs Regrooved

Tributaries break away

From a widening crevasse

Unnoticed in the 

Mesmerizing

Beauty of the Faultline.

Measured breaths,

Calculated moments,

Drawn lots.

Survival,

The great equalizer.

Wild spirit below.

Tame rule above.

Unseen power ignored.

Silence is screaming

Upon deaf ears. 

冰山再蚀

支流挣脱  

不断扩大的冰隙  

在断层线  

魅惑的  

美丽中  

无人察觉。  

丈量呼吸，  

算计时刻，  

抽签定命。  

生存，  

最公平的裁决者。  

狂野之灵在下。  

驯服之规在上。  

无形的力量被忽视。  

寂静正尖叫  

于失聪的耳畔。