Elisa Galgut
in the first dream, you’re consumed
with illness, a caricature, the shadow
of a flightless bird, the skeleton
of a bird fossilised in stone.
in the other, you’re in the kitchen,
standing by the sink washing dishes
you’re wearing your blue night gown,
you’re ill but i am overjoyed to see you
i can feel, even in sleep, the jolt of joy,
the unexpected sight of your appearance.
in both dreams you’re alive
and i know that i’m dreaming;
i know you’ll be gone when i awake.
i’ll lose you, once again, to the daylight
my waking will kill you
Featured at The Red Wheelbarrow in-person launch of The Only Magic We Know: Selected Modjaji Poems 2004-2020 on 1 March 2022
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