[was the table, was the chair] Poem by Ulrike Almut Sandig

was the table, was the chair, sat a child,
in the kitchen and ate, was it silent in the hall,
did no one wander around counting their own
steps, the window cross whiter than usual
around evening, small animals in flight
transected the yard and dust lay on the glass and
a child was very still and something occurred
in a flash, was hot at the base and darkened,
burst, a child opened its eyes
wide and couldn't, it couldn't find anything.

Translated by Bradley Schmidt