Old World by Charles Simic I believe in the soul; so far It hasn’t made much difference. I remember an afternoon in Sicily. The ruins of some temple. Columns fallen in the grass like naked lovers. The olives and goat cheese tasted delicious And so did the wine With which I toasted […]
MoreCounty Fair by Charles Simic If you didn’t see the six-legged dog, It doesn’t matter. We did, and he mostly lay in the corner. As for the extra legs, One got used to them quickly And thought of other things. Like, what a cold, dark night To be out at […]
MoreRomantic Sonnet by Charles Simic Evenings of sovereign clarity— Wine and bread on the table, Mother praying, Father naked in bed. Was I that skinny boy stretched out In the field behind the house, His heart cut out with a toy knife? Was I the crow hovering over him? Happiness, you […]
MoreCameo Appearance by Charles Simic I had a small, nonspeaking part In a bloody epic. I was one of the Bombed and fleeing humanity. In the distance our great leader Crowed like a rooster from a balcony, Or was it a great actor Impersonating our great leader? That’s me there, I said […]
MoreLike so . . . In the Library by Charles Simic for Octavio There’s a book called “A Dictionary of Angels.” No one has opened it in fifty years, I know, because when I did, The covers creaked, the pages Crumbled. There I discovered The angels were once as plentiful […]
MoreWhat the Gypsies told My Grandmother While She Was Still a Young Girl by Charles Simic War, illness and famine will make you their favourite grandchild. You’ll be like a blind person watching a silent movie. You’ll chop onions and pieces of your heart into the same hot skillet. Your children will sleep […]
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