swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

missing questions
Giulio Maffii

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There is one
wakes up without remembering who he is
the phonebook is empty
no password no history
Then he passes seeing himself in the mirror now
there are two

Hay uno
que se despierta sin acordarse quién es
la lista de contactos del teléfono está vacía
ninguna contraseña
ningún historial
Luego pasa y se ve en el espejo
ahora son dos

C’è uno
si sveglia senza ricordarsi chi è
la rubrica del telefono vuota
nessuna password
nessuna cronologia
Poi passa e si vede allo specchio
adesso sono due

• • •

There is one
who seems faded from the weight from the tungsten lamps
who looks faded from
from the light that does not turn on from the missing answers
from the missing questions
from the answers to the missing questions
Then he promises himself not to be passive like any verb
a neutral declension an invisible neutrino
Then he tells himself that next time
-yes- next time

Hay uno
que parece descolorido por el peso del tungsteno de las lámparas
por la luz que no se enciende por las respuestas fallidas
por las preguntas fallidas por las respuestas a las preguntas fallidas
Entonces se promete no ser pasivo como un verbo cualquiera
una declinación neutra un neutrino invisible
Luego se dice a sí mismo que la próxima vez
sí la próxima vez

C’è uno
sembra sbiadito dal peso dal tungsteno delle lampade
dalla luce che non si accende dalle mancate risposte
dalle domande mancate dalle risposte alle mancate domande
Poi si ripromette di non essere passivo come un verbo qualunque
una declinazione neutra un neutrino invisibile
Poi dice a se stesso che la prossima volta
sì la prossima volta

• • •

There is one
decides to escape from everything
Everything is an abstract entity
and one does not know it
Everything condenses in the past
one lives in the present and does not know it
he gets ready to leave
at the station in front of the grandeur of the train goes back home
At home one decides to escape by everything

Hay uno
que decide escapar de todo
Todo es una entidad abstracta
y uno no lo sabe
Todo se condensa en el pasado
uno vive en el presente y no lo sabe
uno se prepara para partir
va a la estación pero frente a la imponencia del tren vuelve a casa
En casa uno decide escapar de todo

C’è uno
decide di scappare da tutto
Tutto è un’entità astratta
e uno non lo sa
Tutto si condensa nel passato
uno vive nel presente e non lo sa
uno si prepara per partire
va in stazione ma davanti l’imponenza del treno torna a casa
A casa uno decide di scappare da tutto

The research idea for this project “One” is based on the fact that some poems were written directly in Italian, others in English and others in Spanish. There is, therefore, no “main language”. Each can be a “betrayal” of another. One’s sense of alienation is also in the created language.

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Giulio Maffii studies are dedicated to poetry and its diffusion. He’s the editor for “Atelier magazine”. His essays include “Le mucche non leggono Montale” (2013), “Misinabì” (2014), a poem based on the myths of the death of Taino Indios, the essay “L’Io cantore e narrante dai aedi ai poeti domenicali :orazion picciola sulla parabola dell’epos”(2014),” The dance of the reluctant “(2015),” Giusto un tarlo sulla trave “(2016) and” Angina d’amour “(2018)). In 2020 he published for the “Archive for anthropology and ethnology”: “the feet forward: the long walk of anthropos and thanatos between poetry and similar vices”. In 2021 his last work of visual poetry published for Pietre Vive Edition: “Sequenze per sbagliare il bersaglio”. He writes and collaborates with “Bubamara Teatro” Theater Company. He is part of the Pallaio association for anthropological and multidisciplinary studies of Florence.