God Hid His Face
Selected Poems of RAJZEL ZYCHLINSKY
I Live on the West Side

I live on the West Side, 
the sun sets here. 
Here at dusk the heavens are ablaze 
and the river runs blood. 
Whose blood? 
The streets whirl, intoxicated by the flames. 
Whose eyes burn in the flames, 
whose hair? 
Window curtains flutter long and lorn 
in the last glow. 
The sun sets – 
long shadows accompany me to my doorstep. 
Whose shadows? 
The first star appears in the sky. 
Venus? 
It's a frozen tear of my people.

Translated by Aaron Kramer 

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