See How They Watch You
See how they watch you:
a neighbors’ dog
lying supine at your feet,
cats in every alley
with a hungry look,
a young woman on the ground,
with a baby in her arms,
they all watch you,
they all want something from you,
and you think you know very well what it is,
yet when you succumb,
because something in you doesn’t let you walk past them,
they ignore your giving hand,
as though to teach you a lesson:
We don’t need your paltry offerings, M’am,
because, you see, even beggars have their pride here:
this is the land of the truly free, Sister,
who value something other
than what you can give them.
(Written in Oaxaca, Mexico)
Symbols Worn Out by Time
What is a flower
that never opens?
What is a word
that remains unsaid?
What is a rock
that does not get thrown?
What is an island
that remains uninhabited?
What is a thought
that remains unfocused?
What is a child
that remains unborn?
What is a homeland
that is forgotten?
What is an animal
that becomes extinct?
What is beauty
that is not set apart?
What are eyes
that do not see beauty?
What is a protest
that does not destroy
symbols that dot the landscape?
What is a landscape
that is made of symbols?
What is history
but new meanings
for symbols worn out by time?
Nina Kossman a Jewish refugee from the former Soviet Union, is a bilingual poet, memoirist, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and artist. She has authored, edited, or edited and translated nine books of poetry and prose. Her work has appeared in over ninety magazines and anthologies and has been translated into many languages, including French, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Persian, Chinese, and Japanese. She is a recipient of several awards and fellowships, including an NEA fellowship, and grants from the Foundation for Hellenic Culture, the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, and Fundación Valparaíso. Her plays have been produced in several countries. After emigrating from the USSR in the 70s, she lived in New York.
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