Decree

by Estrella del Valle, translated by Toshiya Kamei

Chelsea Aaron

May he be born in November and bring us glory. And may he be announced by fire stars. And may the sky speak with a huge roar and may they go down. It was then commented that it was the final hours and four horsemen would ride again. Like in the days of Abraham. Like in the days of Elijah and Elisha, it’s the final hours of false kings. Split the river in two, remove the bones of his daughters from the bottom of the pits, make the disappeared children of men sprout from the earth. Give their embrace back to them, Rabbi. Given their river back to them, Elisha. Once and for all give peace back to many tortured bodies at sunset. And Elijah, the Son of Man, will be born in November and will cover a country falling to pieces with his cloak. Amen.

---

A native of Córdoba, Veracruz, Estrella del Valle now lives in El Paso, Texas. Her most recent poetry collection, Calima: CAution LIve aniMAls, was published in 2018. Her poems have recently appeared in Isacoustic, La Canasta, Rogue Agent, and Somos en escrito.