An Endless Watch Poem by Riza Braholli

An endless watch

The rain stopped and the wind
fell and broke on the rocks. My father
stopped the razor in the middle of his cheek with foam
and was all ears...

'What got broken like that?
It's a pity - he said - a pity...'
And then he went on quietly
following the glide of the razor in the mirror,
not paying attention
to my watchful eyes.

The wind has been blowing and blowing
since that day,
for years and years and dozens of years,
and the razor continues to shoot foam
onto my beard.

In the mirror my eyes still watch,
To realize...
'What was broken that night! ?
31/12/2022, Tirana

Translation from Albanian to English
By Alfred Kola
Korçë, February 13,2024