pain is a foreign language
a romanian body knows how to sidestep decisions it feels
that in such cases it can no longer justify its comfortable suffering
for this with your entire body you must stay here until it’s very late
you can be a keychain or a gummed sticker
but one day the music of breathing will disappear
all on its own
or conversely
my hands ready to receive silence
like a sandwich I waited in the bus station
until I was on the verge of tears
the air had the freshness of new leaves
I’d prepared everything; men had taken their places
I just had to watch out for the arrow-swift hordes of evening
they were debating what part of me should be devoured first
they couldn’t believe it when I arose with easy strides
to take charge of matters
in my native language as on a skateboard
(translated from the Romanian by Adam J. Sorkin with the poet, published in elimae, 10, 2010)
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