Babel
An exchange with Yana, the Kyrgyz
girl who lived with neighbors
i. Cento from an Emailgirl who lived with neighbors
On facebook she posted:
y жен американцев на ушах брилианты,на шее жемчуга, на руках
алмазы, а у наших женщин,на ушах лапша,на руках дети, на шее муж
which, when dumped into an online translator reads:
The wives of Americans on the ears, neck brilliantly pearls, diamonds,
and at the hands of our women, ear noodles, hands, children, the husband.
So I asked her what it should have been translated as, and she replied:
American wives have brilliants on their ears, diamonds on their hands, pearls
on their neck, and soviet wives have noodles (lies) on their ears,
kids on their hands and man on their necks.
ii. Response
Brilliant
our earlobes
with
fingertips
as time slips
like noodles
in broth.
Some men think
legal tender.
No.
Sparkle
our lips
with words,
glitter us,
tender
our necks.
©2024 Judith Pacht
