Note: I’ve been revising the English-language version of this poem off and on since 2007. I wrote the Portuguese version (which is slightly different due to language differences and a poetic decision with the last stanza) on June 13, 2018. For the convenience of LexPoMo readers, the English version is posted first.

Elementals

I.
Hold me down,
Solid ground,
One with the dirt,
One with the rocks,
Welded to you.

II. 
Help me float,
Whispering words,
One with the breeze,
One with the clouds,
Hallucinating you.

III.
Scorch my intellect,
Floating smoke,
One with the heat,
One with the pain,
Prone to burn.

IV.
Push me down,
Waves don’t sway me,
One with the damp,
One with the fear,
Riding its current.

Os Elementos

I.
Me segure,
Terra firme,
Eu uno com a sujeira,
Me uno com as pedras,
Soldando com você.  

II.
Ajuda-me flutuar,
Palavras sussurrantes,
Eu uno com a brisa,
Me uno com as nuvens,
Alucinando você.  

III.
Queimando meu intelecto,
Fumaça flutuante,
Eu uno com o calor,
Me uno com a dor,
Propenso a queimar.  

IV.
Me empurre para baixo,
Ondas não influenciam-me,
Eu uno com a umidade,
Sim, estou com medo,
Mas estou ainda montando
o ciclone de sua vida.