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All the Scrupulousness

All the Scrupulousness

Aleksandar Bečanović

If one heads for the wide path that leads to the sea, there
at its foot, he will be able to watch the waves losing their
strength and becoming but a reflection of the sun and spume
spreading over the sand. That is nothing but a plain picture: things a
hundred times seen soon become a disappointment.
However, the observer still must descend, aware that sentiment
must be avoided. So thinks the one who examines one’s own
instructions: all the scrupulousness can’t change anything. The configuration
seems sealed: wherever one goes, the sequel remains
the same. The lucky ones can call it Ithaca, others
can’t recognize it as their homeland, still others feel that
the next morning it will again be cold before leaving. Then the breath warps,
leaves get stamped down into the ground, a shower may erase the footprints.

Jelena Stanovnik


NOTE: This poem first appeared in the magazine ARS.

Translation