Last 10 minutes of lunch break.
On the staircase landing of
the condominium under construction.
He, wearing his work clothes,
with a paper cup of coffee in his hand,
listens to the dusty music on the radio.

Cupboards, couches and colour television.
In the small world they dreamed of,
young housewives gape at the illusion.

So sad to stare at happy people.

He wonders if the cordless hoover
could comfort the ashes and clouds.

“Life is wonderful
But
Sweet dreams never come back”

Fragments of boring love song
fall into a concrete empty box.

…

hiromi suzuki is a poet, fiction writer and artist living in Tokyo, Japan. She is the author of Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (Kisaragi Publishing, 2013), logbook (Hesterglock Press, 2018), INVISIBLE SCENERY (Low Frequency Press, 2018), Andante (AngelHousePress, 2019), Found Words from Olivetti (Simulacrum Press, 2020), Ephemera (Colossive Press, 2021). Double solo exhibition with Francesco Thérès visual HAIKU | OLIVETTI poems was held in Rome, 9 ～30 September 2021.

Note: La dolce vita is a part of the first poetry collection Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (kisaragi publishing, 2013 ISBN978-4-901850-42-1). The poem written in Japanese have been translated by hiromi suzuki, 2022.