Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Lennart Sjögren: 'I lövfällningen'

 



In the leaf-shedding season

 

In the leaf-shedding season

it is

as if what was low becomes higher

and what was sound

becomes silence

the migrant birds that have arrived belatedly

are in for an uncertain winter.

 

It sometimes happens that children

born in the spring

have already shrunk into old people.

They hold out their hands

as if they had been condemned

to become joyless beggars.

Yes

even the sails

now approaching harbours

resemble overripe fruit.

 

Among the remains of

the gutted house

after this summer’s last thunderstorm

the old man living there holds up

a refound nail

in front of his face.

 

And it is as if leaves and beggars

and the children and the very old

were engaged in some other conversation.

 

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