brandenburg

by Ulrike Almut Sandig
          translated from German by Bradley Schmidt

all routes leading here were quick
and blue. on signs were warnings of deer,
the green of the trees caught the eye,
every animal in the branches stayed visible
and still. we threw our heads back
towards the fleeing tree tops, buds flew
in droves into the light, the trunks were
marked with glistening paint, behind
the curves the crosses. here NATURE was
the goal of the youth here, i tell you.
forget me not, you answer me, remember
the tree tops from another year, think
of our stride, the roar of the leaves,
the waves on the gravel pit, the backhoe,

the lake