i like those moments in class
when distracted students
rouse themselves
like ancient deities
surging toward survival
at a certain age life resembles the lethargy of myth
—a long convoy sailing swiftly
all too slowly swiftly—
then they blurt out the full truth
about the reading they didn’t do
(a friend says that
magical things happen
in classrooms
things out of nowhere
like people
saying excuse me help me
showing off scars
sharing recipes
and then vanishing
forever)
i like those moments in class
when those paying attention
ask me the kinds of questions
i relish pretending
i know the answers to
what’s an anachronism?
what does a sign signify?
i like those digressions from life
there in the classroom
when i draw a blank mid-sentence
i forget all the words
and i appeal to the drowsy students —
far off in their infinite convoys
listless and yet frenetic
not one dares say
professor we haven’t got all life
get on with it
we need to get some shut-eye
we need to make copy machines wail
to fuck among other
sensual pursuits
harder to grasp
get a move on we haven’t
the vaguest idea what
your vague words mean
sometimes they save me from these lapses
sometimes they hurl me into them
deeper still
sometimes i don’t want to be saved
some days—every day—i know i am
a swim instructor
who has no water to swim in

“versos de circunstância”. © Laura Erber. Translation © 2022 by Pedro Vainer. All rights reserved.