The summer she turned seven
they gave her a wooden pencil case
with a pencil and eraser.
The pencil, so she could gnaw the lead
until she found the vagus nerve
of the word.
The eraser, to erase the word
before she could say it.
Copyright © 2021 Gemma Gorga, © 2021 Sharon Dolin (English translation and introduction), Late to the House of Words, Saturnalia Books
Good Manners
Sharon Dolin, translation from
the Catalan written by Gemma Gorga
the Catalan written by Gemma Gorga
