Fog in London

Translated Ali Alizadeh and John Kinsella

fog is a native of London
a foreigner native in me
in winter, a tourist sees fog
then
zoo
then Tower of London

during evenings when I return to my room in Elise Court
the fog-addicted road
blurs my recollection of where I have walked before
and stumbling I bump into the administrators’ building;
in spite of a vast love for sun-drenched colonies
they pronounce my name incorrectly

Londoners cohabit with fog
and declare their passion
for sunshine;
one day you step onto a Tube platform,
anticipation of the city loop in your eyes,
to overhear people exclaiming:
such a lovely sunny day, isn’t it?
you glance upwards,
the ceiling pressing down on your head