Translated from Yiddish by Jessica Kirzane
gates.
somewhere, gates await us.
golden-plated gates.
these sorrowful days of ours
like a row of lonely birch trees
on a tearful autumn day—
each one the same.
the paths lead us
uphill and down
taking us to
the gold-plated gates…
your speech.
your quiet cry rinsed
the dust off my soul.
now my heart is pure with joy
and once again your speech
blossoms for me
like fresh flowers
after a light rain.
blue flowers
(for Aaron Zeitlin)
your eyes – blue flowers
that kiss the sunbeams
by the stream in springtime.
I have a spray of blue flowers
buttoned to my coat
so I will never forget
the color of your eyes…
you.
you don’t say much.
you lack a friend
to understand
your every glance—
let me be your friend.
quiet.
I bear a silence in me
like a quiet early autumn night—
when the birds stop singing
and the last summer bloom withers.
I bear a silence in me—
the silence of a child
with no more tears to cry.
Also, read a short story by the stalwart Bengali writer, Manik Bandopadhyay, translated to English by Nishi Pulugurtha, published in The Antonym
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Although these aren’t in strict haiku form, there’s a very haiku-like feel to the imagery. Do you know of she had knowledge of Japanese poetry and could have been influenced by it?