Latvian Feature
more poetry
Jānis Elsbergs
from Daugava Boulevard
Your breath is water.
My breath is iron.
Think of a vessel
that may contain you.
I make chains of thought
wreaths of letters.
You rain on me
rain showers.
I accuse in whispers:
“Girl child! Crying one!”
Mutely you respond:
“I’m yours. Your river.”
You
the human
grimace movement city history
slippery street and wind in an audio cassette
from a loudspeaker a salesman screams into the ear and
thoughts jump beside the first
floor curtain a passionate flutter multiplied by three
days later in a bar an audit
you smile
for just one week
is it really that hard to wink seven times with
an eye candidly warmly lick
street-exhausted feet
you
don’t know but here
I’m the one
walking
Translated by Margita Gailitis
