The pen
ceased to obey
or dictate
It decided to be frivolous
It knows
about backlash
about disorder
and faint weariness of soul
It said to itself:
Why resist
the thing that betrays language
in order to make it more truthful?
The little things
will perhaps be
the big things of tomorrow
or yesterday
Example:
What deadly question
will be put to me by the Sphinx
who is
my travelling companion?
Example:
The station clock
Does it tell today’s time,
or that of a day
a thousand years ago?
Example:
That man
is he searching for a resting place
or for his passion in life?
The train moves off
Does it know the way?
Or if it will ever stop again?
Little Things
Translated by Alan Baker