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“The Pillow” by Charles Simic 🇷🇸🇺🇸 (9 May 1938 – 9 Jan 2023)
Are we still travelling?
Whiteness, you come out of a dog’s mouth
On a cold day. Apron,
I lie within you like an apple.
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You’ve lit up the forest. Two
Black winds you sell. Do you still
Guard me from thieves
On the road fearsome and lonesome?
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To tie my breath inside you
Into a knot—find the way
Back to your old scent.
It still hasn’t bought me a mocking bird.
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We separated, sacred time.
I stretch between two chairs. Recently,
I started wearing blinders. One-legged,
Since there’s no room for the other.
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The dead love eggs. This is
That pebble tucked beneath you
Speaking. Bared now,
For those who grind their teeth in sleep
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To lay down their heads.