How the hopping breath Poem by Brigitte Oleschinski

of the accordion drives the scraps down the pavement here - they all live
in the same neighborhood, the same defeat. Disguised. Between hubcap

and curb, an uptight helium fish, limp silver
from gill to gill, grins at the pale, filmy stash bag which wafts around until it
finds the steps. Hesitates, turns upside down, and, on ballerina stumps,

dances upwards because in the same torrent of air the fish
stands up and applauds

translated by Andrew Shields, 1999