The Cup Poem by Dunya Mikhail

The woman turned the cup upside down
Amid the figures and letters
She turned the light off and
Only one candle remained burning
She put her finger on the cup
And repeated some words:
'You, spirit, if you attend, say yes'
The cup moved to the right
The woman said: Are you the spirit
of my husband, the martyr?
The cup moved to the right - YES
She said: Why did you leave me that soon?
The cup moved to the letters
I COULD NOT HELP IT
She said: Why did you not escape?
The cup moved ( I DID
She said: How were you killed, then?
The cup moved ( FROM BEHIND
She said: What will I do now with all this loneliness?
The cup did not move
She said: Do you love me?
The cup moved to the right for YES
She said: Can I keep you here?
The cup moved to the left for NO
She said: Can I come with you?
The cup moved ( NO
She said: Will our life change?
The cup moved to the right
She said: When?
The cup moved ( 1996
She said: Are you OK?
The cup moved slowly to the right
She said: What do you advise me?
The cup moved ( ESCAPE
She said: To where?
The cup did not move
She said: Will we know more catastrophes?
The cup did not move
She said: What is your will?
The cup moved to a meaningless sentence
She said: Are you tired of my questions?
The cup moved to the left
She said: Can I ask more?
The woman said, after some silence:
'You, spirit, go in peace'
She turned the cup upright
and blew out the candle.
Then she called out to her son
who was catching insects in the garden
in a helmet full of holes.