States of mind

Sometimes I feel

like poor hill
and other times like mountain
of repeated tops

Sometimes I feel
like a cliff
and other times like a sky
blue but distant

Sometimes one is
spring between rocks
and other times a tree
with the last leaves.
But today I feel only
like an insomniac lagoon
with a wharf
already without boats
a green lagoon
still and patient
satisfied with its weeds
its moss and its fish,
serene in my trust
trusting that one afternoon
you approach and look at yourself,
you look at yourself at looking at me.


Vocabulary:
Tops: Cumbres
Spring: Manantial
Wharf: EmbarcaderoStill: Inmóvil, tranquiloWeeds: Algas
Moss: MusgoApproach: Acercarse 

The man who learned to bark

The truth it were years of hard and pragmatic learning, with gaps of misalignment in which he almost quit. But perseverance finally triumphed and Raymond learned to bark. Not to imitate barking, as usually some funny people do or who believe they are, but barking actually. What had prompted this training? With his friends he flagellated himself with humour: "The truth is that I bark to not cry." However, the more valid reason was his franciscan love for his brothers dogs. Love is communication.

How then to love without communicating?

For Raymond was a glorious day when their bark was finally understood by Leo, his brother dog, and (more remarkable still) he understood Leo's barking. From that day Raymond and Leo used, usually in the evenings, under the arbour to talk about general topics. Despite his love to brothers dogs, Raymond had never imagined that Leo had a vision of the world quite as wise.

Finally, one afternoon he decided to ask, in several sober barkings: "Tell me, Leo, quite frankly, what do you think of my way of barking?". Leo's response was quite brief and sincere: "I would say you do it quite well, but you have to improve. When you bark, yo can still notice the human accent."

Vocabulary:
Gaps: Desalientos
Quit: Desistió, renunció (To quit)
Bark: Ladrar
Prompted: Motivado (Promp = Verbo transitivo, ejemplo: His words were prompted by the previous fight. = Sus palabras fueron motivadas por el conflicto anterior.)
However: Sin embargo
Remarkable: Admirable
Arbour: Pérgola
Despite: A pesar de
Wise: Sabio/a
Sober: Sobrio
Frankly: Francamente
Brief: Breve
Improve: Mejorar (To improve)
Notice: Notar (To notice)