The grapes
at the mercy of soil and hands
defenceless before will,
dragged to the press
and crushed under feet,
humiliated to transformation.
A whole life
to end up as something else.
They die,
the smell and the colour of corpses
take the place of houses,
invade the table’s linen,
the lips of families.
And on occasion they take revenge,
revealing the nature
of men.
(Unpublished)
Translated by Rui Parada