Paper cone Poem by Ulrike Draesner

into it were poured
the years that followed
i'll give you sugar for a good start
as if you were a horse spurs
if earned. we still say that? treasure
the future, bedecked. we let
it, i say to you: let it stick there! we let
a trim surround it and select
the pattern of an elephant, that thick-skinned
woman-guided animal that knows how to mourn
the way it is on days like this: that the sun
shines the date stands then trickles away
that the next step is necessary
and is irrevocably you going through
the school gate with your shoes size 30
from calfskin. now from within you grow
those great white teeth
of yours and i
will look after you

Translated by Bernadette Geyer