Bathed in red light,
seated at a table,
alone, an unknown woman gets ready
to light a cigarette.
She opens the cigarette case
with a habitual gesture,
she takes out a cigarette,
puts it between her lips.
With her left hand she
brushes a wisp of hair from her face,
with her right she takes a lighter,
flicks it open with her thumb
and strikes the flint.
The flame leaps up
shines in her eyes,
over her hair,
as she brings the cigarette slowly
toward it, and sensually,
in the timeless pause
of her invisible ageing,
she inhales
her first breath.
Uroš Zupan (born 1963) Slovenia
Translator not stated
Source: Big Bridge 11
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