Indrѐ Valantinaitѐ - I’LL PROBABLY BE A SKINNY OLD WOMAN

Ripping open her kisses and her fears
She awakes at night
To be astonished by everything that has changed her.
Paul Eluard

In 2055, I’ll probably be a skinny old woman
and I won’t take up much space on buses and in queues.
In half a century, only the bathroom mirror and doctors
will look at my body.

I’ll only be touched
by sweaty night gowns,
torn at the underarm.

Then, before I fall asleep,
I will remember the taste of my lover’s tongue and saliva
and all the men who wanted me long ago.

And – how the bead creaks
when two lie upon it.

Translated by Ada Valaitis