Under the plaster a previous layer was discovered, under which
an even earlier one, and so on, until the walls
were as thin as pages from a well-worn book.
Through them voices are heard in a familiar language-
Something wants to be articulated but all the words
have been sold. Faces can be seen
taken out of circulation even before we were born.
The living and the dead exchange unsurprised glances
Even if no one knows who is and who is not.
Eyelids blink like camera shutters.
In the marketplace a peddler
hawks souvenirs from before the end of the world.





Translated by Frank L. Vigoda