From LEO'S WORKSHOP


leo looks at                   the woman's eyes 
               they look at him 
               from the stained photograph 
of an old             magazine 
he sees her       mona lisa 
                                         he says 
while he browses the other reproductions 
                                         color details 
leo smells the pestilence of the cat 
dead in the corner 
                                         he smells the aroma 
of the meat stew 
                                         from the soup kitchen 
he smells the sausages being grilled in the friends' 
                          shack 
he smells the honeysuckle's perfume 
                          behind 
              in the little earth backyard 
                                         in the back 
before the river 
                          that smells 
leo looks at the world through the eyes of  
mona lisa 

and he only sees sky 


but leo sees something lives 
      the broken photograph 
                              of mona lisa urinated 
             by some dog 
he sees 
             also the mother 
                            standing 
in front of him 
                                         the black hair 
                            the red blouse 
                                         the white skirt 
                    the brown shoes 
                            put the hands like this mom 
                                         like mona lisa
and to the side the pile of bottles 
                                         of quilmes
                                                                beer
                             and the plastic drums 
and behind the fence and the green leaves 
              of the vine 
              and the blue flowers of the bellflower 
further back       the black river bank 
of the riachuelo        and the black meandering  
                           river 
and in the back the fog 
of pollution     almost blocking 
the buildings            of              the city 


the two iron          bridges 
              and above            all                 the sky 
purple  blue   red     of the sunset 
                          covering him 
leo 
              the kid that paints            his mother 
                                       mona lisa 
     the one in the picture             while he dances 
around              the canvas           leaning on 
              the black chair 
                          made of plastic 
on the earth   of the little backyard 
                          behind the shack

---

Mario Sampaolesi
Translation by Marcela Moguilevsky