by Elena Stefoi
On a kitchen table
in the intense heat,
a crudely sharpened sword
kept on chopping
the great wonders of the world.
It was at the beginning of September —
I couldn’t even remember
the light
although I’d lived
fully a dozen summer days.
Translated by Adam J. Sorkin and Mia Nazarie
Elena Stefoi’s poem originally appeared in The Dominion Review, Barely South Review’s ancestor, back in 1993 (Vol. No. 11). Thanks to the University of Wisconsin-Madison libraries for allowing access to their full archive of The Dominion Review.