[I comb my hair]
I comb my hair
to unwind,
ready or not
here I am.
Behind the bottle
the cat's whiskers,
I'll send off those
references later.
I put on a hat,
look in the mirror,
I'm expecting a visit expecting
the doorbell to ring.
Those sleepy dark lovely eyes . . .
But no love-talk—
I can't take it.
As for love, I want
only to make it.
Patrizia Cavalli
The Cincinnati Review Summer 2012
Copyright © 1974 by Patrizia Cavalli
Translation copyright © 2012 by Geoffrey Brock
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission