Zinnias in Bloom (Six Ways of Looking at the Rain) Poem by Marjan Strojan

Zinnias in bloom; a train
moving on, departing: maids'
work on the balcony.
An electric pole - a hedgehog
trying to climb it: a palm tree
by night. The branch of an elder
bush dressing itself up in black.
The scent of its inflorescence
quietly glowing. Among the wild
rose petals a spider hiding from
the rain. Had it not gone into
hiding it would have stayed hidden.
Night gathers; the starlings flock
onto a sign-board: in the sky
a child from the long gone past
happily singing. Rain descends
from the heavens; fire licks the star
at the edges. One me coming down
to lie on the earth.

translated by Alasdair MacKinnon