Michael Cadnum is the author of thirty-seven books, including the National Book Award finalist The Book of the Lion.  Several of Cadnum's books have been released as audio books by Audible, and Open Road has published e-book editions of many of his classic thrillers.  His most recent books are Earthquake Murder:  short fiction, and a book of animal poetry titled Kingdom.  A new book of poems, The Promised Rain, is in-progress. He lives in Albany, California.

Follow him on Twitter @MichaelCadnum.


 

Now available--my animal poems in one volume. 

 https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-poetry-Michael-Cadnum/dp/1717398391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536152193&sr=8-1&keywords=kingdom+cadnum&dpID=41Z0JEHFWhL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Glass Eye

We lived in the cottage by the river
where it stood like milk
with the smell of town. Mornings
were the frying of smelt,
the little knives with eyes,

and my aunt and my mother and my sisters
chattered, buttering toast.
There were butterflies on the wallpaper,
and my uncle would join us.

He had lost it
when a rifle burst. Snipers
had called to him from high trees.

He would descend
with his tie and vest and cufflinks,
smelling of aftershave and smiling,
looking at us with both eyes.

Here is the poem in German, translated by Elke of Celle

Glasauge

Wir lebten am Fluss im Häuschen,
darauf der Geruch der Stadt wie
abgestandene Milch.  Morgende
mit gebratenen Stinten,
die kleinen Messer mit Rost,

und meine Tante und meine Mutter und
meine Schwestern
schwätzten, schmierten Brote.
Es gab Schmetterlinge auf der Tapete,
und dann kam mein Onkel hinzu.

Durch eine Gewehrsalve
hatte er es verloren. Heckenschützen
hatten aus Baumwipfeln auf ihn gezielt.

Er kam herunter mit
Krawatte, Weste und Manschettenknöpfen,
mit dem Geruch von Rasierwasser und lächelnd
schaute er uns mit beiden Augen an.