Early mornings the sea poured out more velvet.
Every day we'd go and feed the birds with bread
under a braggart sun. Every day,
and the girls wore dolphins on their lips.
They wore gems, they carried liqueurs, fine amulets.
When we saw them, the dusk
was scented like the roots of violets. In those days
we all knew how to send vipers to sleep
by blowing on an old pipe. We had also learned
to walk barefoot through the sands of evil,
to wash our faces in blackberry juice
during the sacrifices. We offered the gods
handkerchiefs and tobacco, knives and hazelnuts.
We hung on, waiting for a sign or reprieve
from their inclemency.

Translated by Anna Crowe