Coming to Paradise

We came and found paradise but something
was missing in the water, in the sky,
in the movement of hands
that couldn't embrace or punish

Our children have the large
moist eyes of wounded deer
but must betray no sign of weakness
they must be winners or nothing

Our children know all the songs
all the shows all the jokes
they try to learn the memories too
our children are like the rest

It's a sign of fluency to dream in a language
but we dream wide-awake
we think about our dreams
in broken silences

We stand alone and stubborn
we spend years looking for a crack
in the neighbours' wall
but only find a key

We came looking for paradise and paradise
we found, but it wasn't enough
so we wept and talked about leaving
and never left.

Copyright © 2004 Kapka Kassabova All rights reserved
from Someone Else's Life
Bloodaxe Books / Dufour Editions
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission