Translated from Hebrew by Tal Nitzan and Ilya Kaminsky.

 

 

 

It’s not a green bench in the children’s room

It’s a crocodile

 

It’s not a crocodile

It’s the future:

here’s the slow shift of his eyes

here’s the dreadful snap of his jaws

 

But where are the children?

It’s not the children’s room

It’s the childhood’s room

 

Here’s you standing in it

with your small dress and shut mouth

and your whole crocodile ahead of you.

 

 

 

&

 

 

 

Tal Nitzán is an award winning poet, writer, editor, and translator of Hispanic literature. She is the author of six poetry books, a novel and four children’s book, and editor of three poetry anthologies. Her poems have been translated to more than 20 languages and appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.

“Look” was previously published in Mantis, Issue 14.