In a small town in the Italian Alps,
a Ukrainian nurse
stands under magnolias in a park.
It's winter, and an old, shaggy,
white dog is pulling at the leash
when a clang stuns the air
as a churchbell starts to ring.
The small white dog
starts to bark,
fiercely, with rasping breath.
„Heart attack" vibrates in the air.
The church won't stop,
neither will the dog.
The volume of horror increases.
Like rivals
animal and church
tear at the hearts´ rhythms.
And nobody notices anything yet
in the park under the magnolias.
Now now now now now now now

Translated by the author and Mike Horwood