The Little Boy

I.

The little boy would spit down on passers-by
from a window on the fourth story
and would hide instantly
behind the blinds.
the little boy would throw stones
in the street
to break the neighbor’s window-pane
and would hide behind a wall.

II.

Standing before a broken window,
the little boy who was no longer a little boy
would spit on the street
where he had hidden his childhood
but he wouldn’t run and hide anymore.
He who was no longer a little boy
would repair the window
that the neighbor’s little boy had broken.

 

January 2009
Los Angeles
Translated by Samvel Mkrtchyan