Apocalypse (a Golden Shovel)
A bilingual golden shovel from A Pessimistic Haiku / Un Haiku Pesimista by Ariel Francisco.
In English, that poem reads:
A homeless man with a sign that reads the end is upon us — I wish.
And in Spanish, it reads:
Un vago dice: El fin se aproxima. Ya quisiera yo.
An English golden shovel:
When things seem their worst, there’s a strange comfort I’d like to extend to the homeless feeling that gnaws the soul of every man, as we walk about this tare-torn garden with all its weeds. You might think it strange, but it’s a reminder of Apocalypse. It’s not some prophetic sign, not some careful numerology that can tell you how the timeline reads; it’s just an acknowledgement: the stuff here wasn’t made to last. Everything has an end, and that end — however near or far — is certain. But when that end arrives upon all Creation, and upon us, there’ll be something better next, and I think that next day, after Apocalypse, is my heart’s tired wish.
A Spanish golden shovel:
Cuando todo parece al peor, hay un consuelo extraño que quisiera dar al vago corazón sin hogar, algo que mi igual corazón dice a todas quien conmigo andan por este jardín herida. El mensaje es de alegría apocalíptica: por todo que hay, hay un fin, y despues, hay una mañana cuando todo se vuelve nuevo, y mejor – un día que se aproxima, y aunque siempre quisiera que se llegó ya, por ahora, espero yo.