"Audible and Inaudible" by Yannis Ritsos

Audible and Inaudible

A sudden, unexpected movement; his hand
clutched the wound to stop the bleeding,
though we had not heard the gunburst at all
or the whistling of a bullet. A short time later
he lowered his hand and smiled;
but again slowly he placed his palm
on that same spot, pulled out his wallet,
paid the waiter politely, and went out.
Just then the small coffee cup cracked by itself.
That at last we heard clearly.


-- Yannis Ritsos (1909-1990), "Audible and Inaudible," trans. from the Greek by Minas Savvas, The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry, eds. Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris, Words Without Borders, 2010, p. 169.

"None of the books have time" by Philip Larkin

None of the books have time
To say how selfless feels,
They make it sound a superior way
Of getting what you want. It isn't at all.

Selflessness is like waiting in a hospital
In a badly-fitting suit on a cold wet morning.
Selfishness is like listening to good jazz
With drinks for further orders and a huge fire.


-- Philip Larkin, "None of the books have time," 1960. Recommended by a friend.