And I Shall Broadcast, Saying Nothing, The Starry Echoes Of The Wave...

Y yo transmitiré sin decir nada 
los ecos estrellados de la ola...
       - Pablo Neruda, from Deber del Poeta

Social creatures of the neighborhood gather,
   one by one, to sit and watch the waves roll in.
There will be another time to jump into the water,
   to splash, to play,
       to catch fish and work the waves.
There will be a time, too, for leaving this place,
   riding the winds and
       finding inland treasures.
But for now, and here, they are content
   to gather, to pause,
       to gaze and ponder.
They take their place on the sand,
   a few yards away from the water’s edge,
       a few feet one from another,
And quietly converse without words:

There will be a time, soon enough,
   to engage in raucous
       playground laughter,
And there will be a time as well
   to broadcast complaints
       and call neighborhoods together,

But for now, and here, they are satisfied
   to stop, to compose,
       to start to consider.
They take their place under the sun,
   pulling up one leg
       in restful balance,
This is their moment of peace;
   this is their poem to remember.

And there will be a time for recitations,
   as there will be places without peace,
But it is enough,
   here and now,
       to sit and watch the waves roll in.