War Catches a Man with a Shopping Bag

-- Ludmila Khersonsky (trans. Katie Farris/Kaminsky)

War catches a man with a shopping bag

walking home from the market.

In the shopping bag: a bottle of milk, a loaf of bread.

And the war is laughing:

“Where is the salt? Fool. And matches?”

And the man asks,

“What use do I have for matches? Or salt?”

And the war answers:

“You’ll know soon enough.”