The State of Things

ELISHA PORAT

Good of you to call. It was nice to hear
Your voice. And how are you? Great, you have made
Progress. I saw what you published in the
Journal. Yes, quite a few years have passed:
And they have left their mark: there are a couple of grandchildren,
I will not say how many. They should simply
Not be counted. Me, what about me? The same walls
And forty-two square meters: the earth is
Moving, and everything is cracking up. And at night
I am terrified: sudden crashes, the plaster
Is peeling, and on the roof bats spit volleys
Of fruit mashed with vomit and grain: and if
I strain my ear to this silence that comes
From your phone, I can very well hear:
Herds of longing galloping away to the mountains

Translated from the Hebrew by Nitsa Ben-Ari

Elisha Porat can be contacted at porat_el@einhahoresh.org.il.

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