in the cellar, my father
dead for so many years
among madmen and deaf mutes
their pants pockets
stuffed with money and passports
outside, lonely horses
shod with crescent moons and crosses
I feel seasick
I am a tiny insect
a stowaway on a wooden schooner
exquisitely made
by the master directly
in a brandy bottle
Translations of “surd ca o bute,” “după pompei,” “claustrofobie.” Copyright 2006 Mariana Dan. Translations copyright 2008 by Mariana Dan and Adam J. Sorkin. All rights reserved.