Hymn for Lorca
klipschutz
When the sun shines
I do not dream of Revolution
There is a naked girl in the sand
singing
Now the clouds have swallowed her
and the streets are in chaos
Sad guitars
are gleaming swords—
As we storm the Palace
I awake
Her shy tongue is restless
as it darts from mouth to mouth
from revolution to revolution.
"Hymn for Lorca" was previously published in The Erection of Scaffolding for the Re-Painting of Heaven by the Lowest Bidder (1985). Written when I wasn’t yet 20. (I am 68 now.) I was channeling the man himself, or thought I was. The ending surprised me, still does. A revolution is a breakthrough, no?
klipschutz (pen name of Kurt Lipschutz) is a poet, songwriter, editor, and occasional literary journalist. He has been based in San Francisco since 1980. klipschutz.com