Curriculum Vitae

　　by Lisel Mueller

　　 1） I was born in a Free City， near the North Sea.

　　 2） In the year of my birth， money was shredded into

　　 confetti. A loaf of bread cost a million marks. Of

　　 course I do not remember this.

　　 3） Parents and grandparents hovered around me. The

　　 world I lived in had a soft voice and no claws.

　　 4） A cornucopia filled with treats took me into a building

　　 with bells. A wide-bosomed teacher took me in.

　　 5） At home the bookshelves connected heaven and earth.

　　 6） On Sundays the city child waded through pinecones

　　 and primrose marshes， a short train ride away.

　　 7） My country was struck by history more deadly than

　　 earthquakes or hurricanes.

　　 8） My father was busy eluding the monsters. My mother

　　 told me the walls had ears. I learned the burden of secrets.

　　 9） I moved into the too bright days， the too dark nights

　　 of adolescence.

　　 10） Two parents， two daughters， we followed the sun

　　 and the moon across the ocean. My grandparents stayed

　　 behind in darkness.

　　 11） In the new language everyone spoke too fast. Eventually

　　 I caught up with them.

　　 12） When I met you， the new language became the language

　　 of love.

　　 13） The death of the mother hurt the daughter into poetry.

　　 The daughter became a mother of daughters.

　　 14） Ordinary life： the plenty and thick of it. Knots tying

　　 threads to everywhere. The past pushed away， the future left

　　 unimagined for the sake of the glorious， difficult， passionate

　　 present.

　　 15） Years and years of this.

　　 16） The children no longer children. An old man's pain， an

　　 old man's loneliness.

　　 17） And then my father too disappeared.

　　 18） I tried to go home again. I stood at the door to my

　　 childhood， but it was closed to the public.

　　 19） One day， on a crowdedelevator， everyone's face was younger

　　 than mine.

　　 20） So far， so good. The brilliant days and nights are

　　 breathless in their hurry. We follow， you and I.

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