The children saved their money
For ice cream
And gave it to daddy for beer.
The middle daughter
Was keen on reading
Thanks to my prayers.
Nowadays it’s only
In my dreams that I see
People who have made it.
Everything’s gone up.
Even when we’re mad at each other
We don’t break plates …
My younger children
Read like the ancient Romans
Aloud and recumbent.
Reading Brodsky’s prose,
I discovered a spiritual kinship:
A consuming interest in dust …
Translated by Daniel Weissbort