Morning Exercises

I wake up and say: I’m through.
It’s my first thought at dawn.
What a nice way to start the day
with such a murderous thought.

God, take pity on me
—is the second thought, and then
I get out of bed
and live as if
nothing had been said.

— Nina Cassian
translated from the Romanian by Andrea Deletant and Brenda Walker

3 Comments on “Morning Exercises”

  1. florina

    this is a great poem and a great site. But the poet’s name is spelt CASSIAN.

    Reply
  2. Michelle McGinnis

    @florina, thank you so much! What a horrible typo. I’ve fixed it now.

    Reply

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