Orphan Absence

by Vasco Popa

Vasco Popa

You didn’t have a real father
The day you first saw the world within you
Your mother was not at home
It was an error you were born

Built like an empty gorge
You smell of absence
Alone you gave birth to yourself

You spin with your rags on fire
Break your heads one after the other
Jump in and out of your mouths
To rejuvenate your old error

Bend down naked if you can
To the last letter of the alphabet
And follow where its tracks lead

I get the feeling little orphan
That they lead
Toward an unknown presence.





Last updated December 24, 2022