This is the time when the roses begin
to bark all across the damp earth,
this is the time when the dogs wake up
and start chasing their own tails,
this is the time when the first rays of sunlight
golden the white clothes on the washing line,
this is the time when the scarecrows piss
on the sunflowers—yellow petals drooping,
this is the time when the owls go to sleep
in beds of mice skin under the night’s flesh,
this is the time when the stones begin to breathe
again with their rock-hard lungs,
this is the time when the wind hisses
inside the chimney of the crematorium,
this is the time when noses stalk the air
for freshly brewed coffee,
this is the time when everything starts to live
again and again and again…
This is the time when the early-rising peasant
takes a very fast swing with the scythe,
powerful enough to cut through anything,
even us.
Peycho Kanev is the author of 12 poetry collections and three chapbooks, published in the USA and Europe. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, such as Rattle, Poetry Quarterly, Evergreen Review, Front Porch Review, Hawaii Review, Barrow Street, Sheepshead Review, Off the Coast, The Adirondack Review, Sierra Nevada Review, The Cleveland Review and many others. His new book of poetry titled A Fake Memoir was published in 2022 by Cyberwit Press.