Dark

The bandstand
was wrought iron,
and in it,
though it was
late at night,
insomniac
children
played.

— Roberto Bolano, "2666"
(translated by Natasha Wimmer)

Buttered

I laugh like crazy,
a laughter that bubbles
out like popcorn ...

— James Franco, "Just Before the Black"
(Esquire short story, April 2010)

RIP

"I think I am going to die."

She did not even blink
when she replied.

"That would be best,"
she said. "Then we could
both have some peace."

— Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Love in the Time of Cholera"

Bruised

Red-tailed hawks
soared above
in the sky,
which was
purple like
the skin
of an Indian
woman beaten
to death.

— Roberto Bolano, "2666"
(Translated by Natasha Wimmer)