VERSELETS (fragment)
The elementals, the souls and the angels fully exercised their office of being.
§ The Sun and the Moon performed their functions regularly.
§ Nature wove naturally its interminable duty.
§ God remained motionless in the center of his eternity.
And suddenly the horses arrived.
Mornings and nights alternated, the animals of the land and sea repeated like Sisyphus, their cyclopean work of living, the birds flew and sang.
§ The clock of existence ticked the seconds with meticulous fury.
And suddenly the horses arrived.
Men and women loved each other and killed each other, men killed men, men killed women, women fell out of love, all as planned from the remote beginning.
And suddenly the horses arrived.
Selfless beings took sustenance from the land and waters for all, butchers, bakers and dairymen multiplied bread and fish, teachers tried to teach life, politicians and soldiers professed death.
§ The world machine recited its destiny of routines, everything ran smoothly, or not so smoothly, on its axles and gears.
And suddenly the horses arrived.
Slaves carried on with their lives (their owners carried on litters), lawyers tried to codify it, doctors repaired it, philosophers and religious people tried to understand and justify it.
§ The artists reinvented it, the poet cradled it in his hallucinatory dreams.
And suddenly
VERSÍCULOS (fragmento)
Os elementais, as almas e os anjos exerciam plenamente o seu ofício de ser.
§ O Sol e a Lua cumpriam suas funções com regularidade.
§ A Natureza tecia naturalmente o seu interminável dever
§ Deus permanecia imóvel no centro de sua eternidade.
E de repente vieram os cavalos.
Manhãs e noites alternavam, bichos na terra e no mar reiteravam, feitos sísifos, o seu ciclópico trabalho de viver, pássaros voavam e cantavam.
§ O relógio de existir debulhava os segundos com meticuloso furor.
E de repente vieram os cavalos.
Homens e mulheres amavam-se e se matavam, homens matavam homens, homens matavam mulheres, mulheres desamavam, tudo conforme traçado parecia desde o remoto início.
E de repente vieram os cavalos.
Seres abnegados tiravam da terra e das águas o sustento de todos, açougueiros, padeiros e leiteiros multiplicavam os pães e os peixes, professores tentavam ensinar a vida, políticos e militares professavam a morte.
§ A máquina do mundo recitava o seu destino de rotinas, tudo corria tranquilo, ou nem tanto, em seus eixos e engonços.
E de repente vieram os cavalos.
Escravos levavam a vida (os donos iam de liteira), advogados tratavam de codificá-la, médicos a remendavam, filósofos e religiosos esforçavam-se por entendê-la e justificá-la.
§Artistas a reinventavam, o poeta a embalava em seus sonhos alucinantes.
E de repente
Anderson Braga Horta born in Carangola, Minas Gerais, Brazil on November 17, 1934. His father, lawyer Anderson de Araújo Horta, and his mother, Maria Braga Horta, were also teachers and poets. His siblings were Arlyson, Augusto Flávio, Maria da Glória and Goiano. He lived in approximately ten cities in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás. He began high school in Goiânia, finished it in Manhumirim, and studied classical law in Leopoldina, before going to Rio de Janeiro to continue his legal studies. He moved to Brasília in July 1960, to work as editor of the Chamber of Deputies, where he had been admitted in 1957 as a typist. He retired as legislative director. He worked as a journalist and a teacher, both in Rio and Brasília. His first job, however, was as a security guard in the Old Capital, except for the months he spent teaching at the Seminary of Leopoldina, the city where he served his military service. He married Célia Santos from Cachoeiro de Itapemirim in Rio in 1962. The following year, twins Anderson (married to Janete, Fernanda's father) and Marília were born in Brasília. He took the first entrance exam for UnB, starting the Brazilian Literature course, which he did not finish. Poetic Works– Altiplano e Outros Poemas, Marvário, Incomunicação, Exercícios de Homem, Cronoscópio, O Cordeiro e a Nuvem, O Pássaro no Aquário, reunidos em Fragmentos da Paixão (São Paulo, 2000); Pulso (S. Paulo) e Quarteto Arcaico(Jaboatão dos Guararapes, 2000; Antologia Pessoal (Brasília, 2001); 50 Poemas Escolhidos pelo Autor(Rio de Janeiro, 2003; Soneto Antigo (Brasília, 2009); Elegia de Varna, trad. Rumen Stoyanov, (Sófia, 2009); Signo: Antologia Metapoética (Brasília), 2010; De Uma Janela em Minas Gerais:200 Sonetos (Guararapes, 2011); De Viva Voz (Brasília, 2012; Tiempo del Hombre (Lima, 2015); Versos em Três Tempos, com A. de Araújo Horta e Maria Braga Horta (São Vicente, 2018); 50 Poemas / 50 Gedichte, trad. Curt-Meyer Clason (Brasília, 2021); Iniciações (Brasília, 2023). Stories– Pulso Instantâneo (Brasília, 2008). Essays– Erotismo e Poesia (Brasília, 1994); A Aventura Espiritual de Álvares de Azevedo (2002; Sob o Signo da Poesia: Literatura em Brasília (2003); Traduzir Poesia (2004); Testemunho & Participação (2005); Criadores de Mantras (2007); Proclamações (2013); Do que É Feito o Poeta (2016).
David Alberto Fernández is a poet based in Washington DC. Born in Miami to Cuban parents and raised in Hialeah, Florida he published the poetry chapbook Flowers beyond here in 2020. His collection of bilingual poems Mundo se consume / World consumes itself was published by Beltway Editions in 2025. Poet, editor, and translator, Fernández is the co-founder and co-curator of the Beltway Café in Washington, D.C.’s MLK Library and the public-space poetry open-mic project Vocal Takoma. He has also worked in the nation’s capital as a librarian at the world’s largest library for nearly 30 years. __________________________________________________________________________________________ David Alberto Fernández es un poeta radicado en Washington D. C. Nacido en Miami de padres cubanos y criado en Hialeah, Florida, publicó el folleto de poesía Flowers beyond here en 2020. Su colección de poemas bilingües Mundo se consume / World consumes itself fue publicada por Beltway Editions en 2025. Poeta, editor y traductor, Fernández es el cofundador y cocurador del Beltway Café en la Biblioteca MLK de Washington DC y del proyecto de micrófono abierto de poesía en espacios públicos Vocal Takoma. Y también ha trabajado en la capital de la nación como bibliotecario en la biblioteca más grande del mundo durante casi 30 años.