Summer Lee © 2004 All Rights Reserved

Two Years

She slices a batch of onions. She
closes the door and jams the ventilation.

The room is small. She halves
the onions, arranges frantic patterns

on the table. “Slice and dice,” she
chants, “slice and dice.” Halves

become quarters, then small chunks.
Two hours and she’s still not crying.

Steven J. Stewart
Copyright © 2004

 

Steven J. Stewart was named a 2005 Literature Fellow for Translation by the National Endowment for the Arts. His book of translations of Spanish poet Rafael Pérez Estrada, Devoured by the Moon, was recently published by Hanging Loose Press. His poems and translations appear in Harper’s, Diagram, and Apalachee Review.

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