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 Today I met them again
those three girls with black hair
the first in the forest park was preparing a place
For a campfire, gathering dry branches,
balanced on a fallen trunk
her black plaid, lazy tied back curtains
swayed as if in the depths of the sea

the other receded at a right angle
as she distributed yellow leaves to the trees
scattered the stars back into the sky
from a distance her black hair and jacket
resembled a burnt match

the third came to meet me and led
a timid Doberman on a leash
which caught autumn smoke with its scent,
her hair tied in a bun on top of her head
twisted into an oily spiral

tonight the night grew longer
by three minutes
today the heart has thinned
by the width of three black hairs

Translated from the Ukrainian by Stephen Komarnyckyj