Marina Tsvetaeva, 1933

Thirty years together—
clearer than love.
I know your grain by heart,
you know my lines.

Wasn’t it you who wrote them on my face?
You ate paper, you taught me:
There’s no tomorrow. You taught:
Today, today.

Money, bills, love letters, money, bills,
you stood in a blizzard of oak.
Kept saying: For every word you want
today, today.

God, you kept saying,
doesn’t accept bits and bills.
Nnh, when they lay my body out, my fool, my
desk, let it be on you.