The Three Oddest Words

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by Wislawa Szymborska



When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.

When I pronounce the word Silence,
I destroy it.

When I pronounce the word Nothing,
I make something no non-being can hold.



Translated by S. Baranczak & C. Cavanagh
To read more of her poems that I admire!

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