A veces tengo miedo de que hables

el idioma en el que no puedo soñar.

Casi siempre deseo 

que primero vivas

el idioma de la casa, 

el mismo en que te arrullo,

en el que te imagino 

platicándome tus cosas. 

(Todavía no distingues 

que afuera hay otra música)

Últimamente

tengo miedo de los meses 

porque tú has nacido aquí,

en este sitio, en este idioma 

en el que soy un extranjero

y yo quiero 

vivir dentro 

de tu mundo,

del idioma que tendrás, 

de tus palabras. 

Me da miedo

que conozcas

la imposibilidad de pertenecer.

Pero te harás tu patria, como cualquiera.

Si te preguntan de dónde eres 

diles que has venido del corazón de tu padre,

de un corazón 

que aprendería cualquier idioma

para hablar contigo.

The Language of the House

Sometimes I’m afraid you will talk

in the language in which I cannot dream.

I almost always wish

that you live first

the language of the house,

the one in which I lull you to sleep,

in which I imagine you

telling me your things.

(You still do not know

that there is a different music, outside)

Lately

I have been afraid of the months

because you were born here,

in this place, in this language

in which I am a foreigner

and I want

to live

in your world

in the language that you will have,

within your words.

I am afraid

that you will also know

the impossibility of belonging.

But you will build your own homeland, like anyone else.

If someone asks you where are you from,

tell them that you came from your father’s heart,

a heart that would learn any language

to talk with you.

Manuel Iris is a Mexican-born poet, father and educator living in the United States. He was the Poet Laureate of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020). Iris received the National Award of Poetry Merida (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of Dreams, and the Rudolfo Figueroa Regional Award of Poetry for his book The Disguises of Fire (Mexico, 2014). His poems have been published in Spain, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Portugal, France and Angola, to name a few places. In 2021 he became a member of the prestigious National System of Art Creators (Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte), Mexico.

Translation into English by Manuel Iris.

The poem ‘El idioma de la casa’ | ‘The Language of the House’ was first published in the book Lo que se irá (Dos madres press, 2021).