Glimmer

Don’t forget,
When you go to bed tonight,
To close your eyes tightly,
Wrap the blanket around yourself
And pull it up to your forehead
So that you’ll be covered in darkness.
And there in that darkness
Remember me for a moment.
Then you’ll see that
My eyes cast a light upon you
Though ever so weak . . .

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My Tombstone

Don’t erect a marble stone upon my grave,
Nor a grand monument.
Just place a pair of shoes there
For someone barefoot to wear.

Yusif Samadoghlu, Azerbaijan

(1935–1998)