Portraits - Graça Graúna

The poem Retratos by the Brazilian poet Graça Graúna.

Retratos	Portraits
Saúdo as minhas irmãs De suor papel e tinta Fiandeiras Guardiãs Ao tecer o embalo Da rede rubra ou lilás No mar da palavra Escrita voraz. Saúdo as minhas irmãs De suor papel e tinta Fiandeiras Tecelãs Retratos do que sonhamos Retratos do de que plantamos No tempo em que a nossa voz Era só silêncio	I salute my sisters Made of sweat, paper, and ink Spinners Guardians While weaving the swing Of the red or lilac hammock In the sea of ​​words Voracious writing. I salute my sisters Made of sweat, paper, and ink Spinners Weavers Portraits of what we dreamt Portraits of what we planted In the time when our voice was just silence

From: Antologia retratos (Org. Elizabeth Siqueira, Edições Bagaço, Recife/PE, 2004)

Source: https://gracagrauna.com/2017/03/08/retratos-8-de-marco/

Note: The English version available in this post is a loose translation from the original text.

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About The Poet

Graça Graúna (1948), or Maria das Graças Ferreira, is a Potiguara Native woman and Brazilian writer. Poet and literary critic, she is a doctor in Literature and a university professor in northeastern Brazil. Specialized in Literature, Education, and Indigenous Rights, she is one of the pioneers in the study of indigenous literature.