Gentle Rose

by Evgeny Stepanov
translated by Anna Halberstadt

brief delay
a gentle rose will awake in the spring
and me?
grinding of cars in Chicago subway
reminds me of the watch hands of my heart
I accomplished 1% of what I had  planned
even though my brain wasn’t asleep ( and is not )
for a mere second
sleep is office
sleep is my creative lab
life is a dream
it seems all of it I just saw in a dream
so be it
most importantly —
a meek rose will wake up in the spring