My Small White Dog and I - Silja Walter

My small white clog and I,
We walk through every door we see
We shiver and we cry.
We look for you. We look for me.

The rain spins in the lake.
Grows larger casting rings and fog.
I lose the way I take
To wander with my little dog.

The world is far. And far are you.
Where will the journey go?
The heavy rain I listen to—
My little dog barks low.

I find no me. I find no you.
With you I was misled.
My dog looks sad, and I am blue,
My cheek on his soft head.

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Silja Walter (Maria Hedwig) (1919–2011) Switzerland
Translated by Charlotte Melin
Source: German Poetry in Transition, 1945-1990 edited by Charlotte Melin, University Press of New England, 1999