Two Poems 

Michael Hofmann

Cooking for One

I put five small potatoes in a saucepan,
hold it under the cold tap
till they’re covered with water,
add a squirt of washing-up liquid.
– There’s a man who likes his life.

November

Eine Krähe hackt der anderen [nicht] die Augen aus.

German proverb(s)

Crows on oaks and cranes and cooling towers,
the sky cracking up, and crows investigating
the cream of whatever crust cracks yellow, milling
early birds, Styrofoam beaker of coffee,
refill, refill, and a spot of red-eye gravy.

(leaving Bonn)

Subscribers to the print edition can log in to view the entire article. For information about subscribing to the London Review of Books click here. This article and the back issue are also available for purchase online. Buy this article / Buy this back issue