Corn Hunt
we worked out from dusk till dawn
mum dad and my younger brothers
so we could give birth to rivers
from the wounds of our palms
in a unity of hands we see corn
no matter which way we choose
to lose our minds smoking pot
made of sharp corn blades
& blood makes our hoes dig deeper
& blood bursts out when we sit
in a prison made of stalks
when we chunk the bread
when we sneak in the night
to steal some cobs
while death dreams in our backs
piercing our ears with the sickle
smashing our trunks with the gavel
Marius Surleac is a Romanian physicist, poet, and translator. His poetry has appeared in numerous Romanian and international journals including Pif Magazine, MadHat Lit, Literary Orphans, Prick of the Spindle, Shot Glass Journal, and Bare Fiction. He translates into Romanian poetry by Marc Vincenz, Fady Joudah, Valzhyna Mort, Peycho Kanev and Julie O’Yang. He is the author of Zeppelin Jack (Herg Benet, 2011) and the translator of the bilingual edition of The Propaganda Factory, or Speaking of Trees by Marc Vincenz (forthcoming from Tracus Arte). More information about Marius Surleac can be found at www.mariussurleac.ro.