А rough story with a bee

She embraces all her controversies.  

Calls them by name, hates them.  

Suffers from a lack of integrity when she can’t recall 

some of their names.  

She wants to rip them out of her CV, she’s proud of them.  

She remembers that summer when she had no job, 

but she had herself, all the streets, all the hours, Spanish lessons  

and long conversations with people with forgotten faces;  

all afternoon doubts, cafes and summer drizzle.  

Unraveling impossible scenarios in her mind, 

feeling frozen in uncertainty.  

She remembers that story with a bee, after which every encounter with bees looks like an 

omen; a kind of deliberate synchronicity – 

honeyed, as much as paralyzing.  

The bee – curled up on the front doorstep; 

a mute hairy ball fighting for its life  

or preparing for attack. 

What are you, hairy controversy? 

What have you come for? What do you want from me?  

They stared at each other for an hour, each with her sting pointing inward.  

They didn’t find a common language: no honey in fear’s tongue.  

She remembers – she was in love with the bee 

when the hairy controversy  

was completely still. 

Translated by Elitza Yakimov

Edited by Tom Phillips