NEWS FROM THE AFTERWORLD

Borges, bored with being dead,
Decided to return as three notes
From a tango to which he had listened
In Geneva when he was seventeen
And studying for his baccalaureate
The authorities refused; those three notes
Were spoken for. Very well he would be content
To be  a gleam of light on a dagger blade
Drawn during a back alley fight
On June 14, 1901. "Really, Senor Borges,"
Said the authorities, "Consider our feelings!
We do not these days trade in melodrama."
Arbitrators were called in; or perhaps they simply
Had been drinking nearby. Negotiations continue
But observers say there’s little hope of resolution
Any time soon. Consult this poem for developments.

IN TRANSLATION

My father had a gift for languages and could read

Books which never existed in their original language

Having always been translations. Such things happen

Perhaps more often than you think. Once in a while

I see a reflection, tense, concentrated, its eyes tight shut

Trying to call what it reflects into being. Why, I myself ---

No; let that alone. You never know who's listening

Waiting to run to the authorities, hoping they'll make him real.