and a trickle of blood runs down
their chins to patter
gently, drop by drop,
on a blue and white toy drum
bought at a street fair. And in a soft
and cosmic darkness
mama is teaching fledgling vampires
how to fly .
On a bench, under the photographs,
a mildly crazy codger
sings in a raspy voice
like a king from Legoland.
Translated from the Czech
by
David Young and the author
The Autumn Orchard
Some pawky,
black apple
executed on a naked twig.
Two pigeons
on a rundown fence
tearing white feathers from themselves
because there's nothing else
worth sorting.
Cinderella has smeared herself
with ashes, trying
to discourage
her father's incest.
Through an open window
a bunch of poets
are cursing violently.
Although, in fact, everything's
just they way they like it.
Translated from the Czech
by
Dana Haoova and David Young
