Monika Herceg - DEAF CATS

when thundergod rearranged the sky
the first bolt struck our stable
the second struck young kata

they buried her upright up to her chin
in the garden by the onion beds
and waited for two days
for her hands to sprout
from the soggy black soil

it was another miracle
the villagers witnessed
our deaf cats meowed dejectedly
unable to hear their own voices
or their purring insides full of mice and kittens
and kata carried lightning under her heart
that was skipping
like a broken toy

Translated from the B/C/S by Mirza Purić
en_GBEN