Souvenir Of The Ancient World Poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Clara strolled in the garden
with the children.
The sky was green
over the grass,
the water was golden
under the bridges,
other elements were blue
and rose and orange.
A policeman smiled,
bicycles passed,
a girl stepped onto the lawn
to catch a bird,
the whole world...Germany, China
all was quiet around Clara.

The children looked at the sky:
it was not forbidden.
Mouth, nose, eyes were open.
There was no danger,
what Clara feared were the flu,
the heat, the insects.
Clara feared missing
the eleven o'clock trolley.
She waited for letters slow to arrive;
she couldn't always wear a new dress.
But she strolled in the garden,
in the morning!
They had gardens,
they had mornings in those days!