lo tomó / s/he took it

[joel]

Una risa y una tos mezcló
para su arrullo, su canción
del amor. Como el jazz. Oí
sus ritmos y en ellos relajé;
sobre sus cigarrillos yo pensé:
¿Cuántos, para su voz, necesitó?
Con la calidad mortal que honró
por su vulnerabilidad, cantó
poderosamente. Su voz gritó
y escuché: Amor, yo deseé
ser oída. —Y proporcioné
a una audencia y le di
mi afecto. Era una razón
de reír, mi afecto— lo tomó.

roughly:

A laugh and a cough s/he mixed
for his/her lullaby, his/her love
song. Like jazz. I heard
his/her rhythms and in them relaxed;
about his/her cigarettes I thought:
How many, for his/her voice, did s/he need?
With the mortal quality that s/he honored
by his/her vulnerability, s/he sang
powerfully. His/her voice shouted
and I listened: Love, I wished
to be heard. --And I provided
an audience and gave him/her
my affection. It was a reason
to laugh, my affection-- s/he took it.

[Perdida]

There you go again, collapsing me.

my affection-- s/he took it. - how could she not.