Black Oval Shapes
Translated By Brian Henry
I’m bareheeled and also not bareheeled,
I see the whiteness of the church wall.
Ignore the gentleman with the hat, the gentleman with
the hat turns into death.
The gentleman also gargles.
He grinds his eyes
and arranges them. The apricots remain
in his palms. Would we try to order
something? If gasoline is spilled only on
the windbreaker, does only the windbreaker burn?
Translated from the Slovenian
Notes:
Read the Slovenian-language original, “Črne ovalne oblike,” and the translator’s note by Brian Henry.
Source: Poetry (May 2023)