I’ll be a lighthouse keeper

by Liliya Gazizova
translated by Andrei Gritsman

* * *

I’ll be a lighthouse keeper
No, better hiswife.
I’d rise at dawn
And cook him a simple meal.
I’ll watch him eat
Silently and unhurriedly.
I will come to him in the afternoon
With a thermos of hot coffee.
I’ll watch him drink it
Peering into the horizon.
I will notice how the color of his eyes changes
Depending on his mood
Or time of day.
I will know little about him
And I will not seek to learn more.
In the evening I will fall asleep alone
Not waiting for him.
I will dream about ships
Taking me away
From that damn lighthouse . . .
I will get up at dawn.