she with tin legs
hourglass in mouth aquarium in her head
he with all the towns' staircases on his back
under his arm a heart that can be wound up or stopped

they open a book and look for a road
to water sky and blossoming grove
where there is no sweating paper no fumbling eyes
where like in a B picture pretty birds twitter

she opens her legs unlocks the aquarium
starts hunting for fish
he climbs the stairs and winds his heart up

nude bodies drown in sand from the hourglass
fish flick through their veins
with dark designs concealed in their bloody gills

Translated by Michael Scammell & author