La Coqueta

Here is some doggerel verse in Spanish, followed by a rough English translation. Originally written to a girlfriend of mine, it represents an aspect of my personality that survives a more sober Quakerism.

Te veo en frente de mí sentada
Y ya me encanta tu forma de gesto.
¡Como te mueves de niña traviesa,
Como te ríes burlando en juego!
 
Me atrae la blusa un poco abierta,
Me atrae el arete hecho de oro.
Chispas de luz adornan la mejilla,
Hipnotizándome el suave brillo.
 
A veces te pareces niña dichosa,
¡Toda una mujer es la que eres!
 
I see you sitting in front of me
And already your gestures enchant me.
How you move like a playful little girl,
How you laugh and make fun of me.
 
I like the blouse a little bit open,
I like the golden earring.
Flashes of light adorn your cheek,
I’m hypnotized by their soft glimmer.
 
Sometimes you seem like a happy little girl,
Wholly a woman is what you are!
 
 ~ Richard Russell