Not a Hero Just not yet shatteredReflecting and bending lightWe are all new glass My father was past 80 when he finally began to tell us about the war.It was his first war, when he was only 20.He served during three conflicts.But it was that first war that marked him. It started when we found…
Mermet Springs, Illinois In Little Egypt, near Cairo, Thebes, and Karnak,Straight along Highway 57 south,Along the current’s misgiving switchbackWhere the river is wider than at the delta’s mouth,In an old stone pit, we’ve sunk our culture’s wrecks:A coal car, airplane, pick-up truck, the scrapAnd waste of someone’s dreams, life, foregone projects.Our lives’ ends fit so…
Alternate Perspectives For instance, that a graveyard is a gardentoo, which, though seeming still, careers through spaceon a great round spheroid ship squashed in at poleswith flaws, dents, bumps, like an uncultured pearl,a natural jewel. And when a soul’s turned init fertilizes futures with more carbonand sand to make more pearl, emerald, diamond.Or that Earth’s…
Two poems translated from the Chinese by the poet A Man Carrying a Pane of Glass A man walks carrying a pane of glass on the road with the sharp, rough edge wrapped in newspaper that screens his upper body, thinking himself invisible to others. His upper half appears flat through the glass, making it different from carrying a…
Two poems translated from Portuguese by the poet It Took Me a Long Time to Penetrate this Forest It took me a long time to penetrate this forest—youth knows neither invitation nor prudence.I followed the trailwith innocence in my eyes,with curiosity in my soul,as my body was magnetized.I crossed green cathedralsand gave myself to a…
Two poems by Anatoliy Anatoliy, translated from Ukrainian by Olena O’Lear Look, There’s on the Skyline the Smother Look, there’s on the skyline the smother —but we did not choose it, my brother.The dragon’s dark ages and yearswere forging both shackles and spears;from all the unovercome races,they chose us in their cruel chases.And what will…
.UNTITLED On the eve of her thirty-seventh birthday Virginia Woolfstarted keeping a diarywhich means she was the same age I am nowwith the First World War ending, literature hadn’t saved anyone,perhaps it simply saves- I still don’t knowdetails of everyday life, books read, stories written, war againperhaps in this world there is only writing and…
We Won’t Go Anywhere! What mainly unites uptowns?The smell of cat urine and cigarette smoke.Now — the curfew and new laws:Look closely at your neighbors to see who is false. What now unites the whole of Ukraine?Freedom, the desire for spring and victory,Peace and kindness, despite the injured knees,Broken windows and tired legs. We are…
Bhanusingher Padabali In the dense flower orchard,The sweet symphony of Shyam’s flute carries her away.My friend, come, drowning all fears,all shame, all inhibitions,Come along, and unite with Him. With the beauty and charm of her calm, blue attireShe carries in her heart the bountiful blossoms of loveIn her doe-eyes, she carries an untainted smile,Come along,…
Five Wartime Haikus * Planes roar over the city,the residents pour into the schoolyard.Are we in hell, or do we get a pass this time? над городом ревут самолётыжители высыпали на школьный двор:мы в аду или в этот раз обойдётся? * A long story, unfortunatelythe story of a diseaseof one strange man. долгая история, к…
–Translating Serhiy Zhadan is like becoming Serhiy Zhadan. You have to live his poetry in a way to get to its essence, and hear him read his poems before rendering them in your language. This experience can be empowering and intimidating at the same time because Zhadan’s poetry, like a spell, encapsulates space and time…
And When I Made This Final Step And when I made this final stepand fell into the deep pitmy friends stood all around meat the very edge and each was holding an assault riflecarved out of woodand a handful of soilwarm and dry and my pleading did not matter anymorebecause when the oldest one calledevery…
