Prologue

One day,
Despite its significance
He hanged his smile
On a branch of his childhood
And set out, all alone, to see the world
(Life had sharp teeth and claws),
That pensive, aging child.

[Prolog, from the volume Të qenët të mosqenë, Prishtina: Rilindja, 1990, p. 55. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie]