Non-Military Statements

1
Yes, I did write in my letter
that I would wait for you forever.
I didn’t mean exactly “forever,”
I just included it in the rhyme.

2
No, he was not among them.
There were so many of them!
More than I’ve seen in my life
on any television screen.
And yet he was not among them.

3
It has no carvings
or arms.
It always remains there
in front of the television
this empty chair.

4
I dream of a magic wand
that changes my kisses to stars.
At night you can gaze at them
and know they are innumerable.

5
I thank everyone I don’t love.
They don’t cause me heartache;
they don’t make me write long letters;
they don’t disturb my dreams.
I don’t wait for them anxiously;
I don’t read their horoscopes in magazines;
I don’t dial their numbers;
I don’t think of them.
I thank them a lot.
They don’t turn my life upside down.

6
I drew a door
to sit behind, ready
to open the door
as soon as you arrive.

—Dunya Mikhail (translated by Elizabeth Winslow)