Ugasiti hrast

Nismo‌ ‌takve‌ ‌da‌ ‌propustimo‌ ‌
spomenuti‌ ‌uzore:‌ ‌djevojčica‌ ‌baca‌ ‌
sve‌ ‌osim‌ ‌pepela‌ ‌u‌ ‌šahtu.‌ ‌Ne‌ ‌znamo‌ ‌ ‌
što‌ ‌ćemo‌ ‌s‌ ‌tim‌ ‌

roletama‌ ‌od‌ ‌lisičjeg‌ ‌bijega‌ ‌
napetim‌ ‌između‌ ‌dva‌ ‌stakla.‌ ‌
Propustit‌ ‌ćemo‌ ‌sunce‌ ‌ili‌ ‌nećemo?‌ ‌
Počne‌ ‌li‌ ‌kiša,‌ ‌

propustit‌ ‌ćemo‌ ‌odlazak‌ ‌na‌ ‌pogreb‌ ‌
kao‌ ‌što‌ ‌su‌ ‌onog‌ ‌dana‌ ‌propustili‌ ‌ ‌
ugasiti‌ ‌stari‌ ‌hrast‌ ‌
jer‌ ‌se‌ ‌priroda‌ ‌može‌ ‌sama‌ ‌brinuti‌ ‌o‌ ‌sebi.‌ ‌
Postavit‌ ‌ću‌ ‌previše‌ ‌pitanja.‌ ‌

Nemoj‌ ‌mi‌ ‌čestitati‌ ‌rođendan,‌ ‌
ni‌ ‌tebi‌ ‌tvoja‌ ‌majka‌ ‌nije‌ ‌brojala‌ ‌zube‌ ‌
pa‌ ‌si‌ ‌ispala‌ ‌sasvim‌ ‌u‌ ‌redu,‌ ‌nisi‌ ‌li,‌ ‌

nije‌ ‌li‌ ‌ispalo‌ ‌sasvim‌ ‌u‌ ‌redu‌ ‌ ‌
brojati‌ ‌zrna‌ ‌graha‌ ‌ ‌
umjesto‌ ‌uzastopnih‌ ‌odlazaka‌ ‌sunca?‌ ‌

© Marija Dejanović
De: Etika kruha i konja
Zagreb: SKUD IGK, 2018

Putting Out Oak Trees

We are not of the kind that doesn’t
credit its sources: a girl flushes all
but ashes down the drain. We don't know
what to do with those

blinds made out of lost foxes
stretched taut between glass sheets.
Will we be late for the sun,
or won’t we? If it rains,

we are going to miss the funeral,
like the time they missed
putting the oak tree out
because nature can take care of itself.
I will ask too many questions.

Don’t bring up my birthday,
your mother didn’t count your teeth either
but you turned out just fine, didn't you,

didn’t it turn out just fine
counting red beans
instead of each escaping sun?

Translated by: Hana Samaržija