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  • Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ—
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Poetry

Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ—

I am a cow named Poetry,
I give a little milk,
usually 2.5% fat,
sometimes I manage
to squeeze out 3%,
I’m proud that it’s processed
with the most advanced technology
and in paper tetrapacks
reaches undemanding users,
I am sick with all the diseases
not unknown to living things
and carefully detailed
in veterinary textbooks,
I graze in a good herd
(the collective is friendly,
there are no language barriers),
I am afraid of horseflies and the zoo technician,
I can be useful in other ways too –
when the cold comes, when I defecate,
climb into my pile barefoot,
you’ll see how the warmth
rises from your feet
up to the back of your head.

translated by Jonas Zdanys


Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ—

from A Fine Line: New Poetry from Eastern & Central Europe (Todmorden: Arc, 2004)

Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

Tags:

cows Lithuanian milk reading poetry Translations writing poetry
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Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ—b.1967

Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ— was born in MarijampolÄ—, Lithuania, and studied at the Kaunas medical school but also took acting classes at the Kaunas Youth Musical Studio. Since 1990 she has been employed full-time as an actress by the Youth Chamber...
More about Daiva ÄŒepauskaitÄ—

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