I wrote this after Drew shared a story about Sineu, Mallorca. Sineu is about 20 minutes from their village and we went there a couple of times last Oct. . We walked around the church that is mentioned here. I did more research about it when I got home. I shared this with Elisa and Drew (Also sent it to Elisa’s mother) — even though it may not be finished because the timing is right for today.: New Year’s Eve. I am hoping Elisa will. translate it into Catalan — it would be fun to submit to one of those contests or journals that want translations. (I forget—but there was one recently.). I placed commas where I thought pauses were needed. How’d I do? ;-)

Pern del Món

(“pin of the world”)

On the last day of the year

as the old year pivots,

under the bell tower

in the church,

in the town of Sineu,

on an island,

in the Mediterranean,

the calendar and the clock

calculate the passing of time

from one year into the next.

On New Year’s Eve

as the bell tolls midnight,

the world prepares to turn

to a new year.

The mayor and the priest

descend the steps in the church

to the center of the world,

to the center of time,

to oil the bolt of the world.

They turn it to the new year

to keep the world from going under

to keep us from falling away.