Devil’s Lunch
Devil’s Lunch A thorn is enough for him.
An apple made of iron.
The nipple of a girl who paces her home
wearing only a cotton slip.
An ear of a pig is enough.
The bug crawling between two empty dishes.
The child puffing into a dandelion.
The withered limbs of an old woman
on her deathbed.
The limbs of a young woman
waiting for her lover
with one hand on her breast
and the other on her lips.
What he eats for lunch
he vomits for dinner
into a rose bush,
or under a Christmas tree.
(Translated by Charles Simic)