April; I collected strides on steps
of stone, I touched & drank
the breath in the ditches the cold
echo sprung from my temples once
in a never, a weak return
is a squeak of a sigh: what
occurs is misted
by the spittle of birds the ear
asleep in oil the dead grow
& die in the garden, silence
is a vertical sleep
Lutz Seiler is a German poet and novelist. In September, And Other Stories will publish three books by Seiler: a novel, a collection of poetry and a volume of essays
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This article appears in the 03 May 2023 issue of the New Statesman, Beneath the Crown