In This Cul-de-Sac

by Ahmad Shamlu

 

To make sure

You have not said:

"I love you,"

They smell your breath.

They even smell your heart

Trying times are these, my darling.

They flog love

Tied to the post of the cul-de-sac

We must hide love in the box.

They feed the fire

With poems and songs

Thinking, too, is risky.