from the plane you see

by Ulrike Almut Sandig
          translated from German by Bradley Schmidt

by day the smart bluescreen of pools
in one thousand and one gardens at

the house generally squares the closer
you come to Germany. look

at night in blood orange the avenue
of lights those persian cuban (where are we?)

cities! down below the highways shine
above here we shine. the night arises

we’re making strides — will you have your
child here, what will you call it? call it

ASIA, call it ALMUT, call it ALPHA, let
OMEGA be. we come from somewhere
we sleep, we fly nowhere at all.