RETROSPECTIVE

Our time lingered in peace.

Lost was found eventually,
life was a safe place to live in,
moreover, to fade away willingly.

God was recalled on good occasions,
in misfortune, we called him
to bear us in mind… and God did!

Our life was the postponement of war –
the luxury of morning laziness,
the serene ritual of coffee-making,
our loves left to be loved,
our books unfinished,
the same decorations on the Christmas tree
over and over,
our fathers ageing in the photos,
our ridiculous quarrels,
our superficial ruins;
every day a doomsday!

We used to die slowly in times of peace
keeping the right order;
from the aged to the young,
having a life-long time to moan
the gradual slowdown of our hearts
in well-equipped hospitals
designed for a dignified life.

_Translated by Lucille Janinyan
Migrant Point, 2024