this a temple
just as my present lover's
chain of teeth is a temple

her mouth once kissed a reveller
in the engenho novo carnival

since then she has scales on her teeth
pearls on her teeth teeth on her teeth

her body is a temple inside and around her
larger than the whole of her enormous
and envelops her head like a muscle

a temple can only be understood
from its inside

it's in the temple that
this unconditional love is kept

we are each other's temple

Translation: Ana Hudson