A Day in Exile

A day in exile

house without doors, windows

Time

drawn in charcoal

on the white tablet

In the box—

mortal masks

Adam

Abraham

Ahasver

Who knows all the names

A day in exile

where the hours bend

to get out of the basement

to come into the room

Shadows gathered

around the oil light of the eternal lamp

tell their stories

along the walls

with ten dark fingers