Photo by Adriána Vančová
Christmas Night
— Translated by Stephan Delbos
We no longer drive toy cars in the stripes on grandma’s carpet.
We don’t fight with sticks among condoms and syringes.
I don’t pee on you from the top bunk,
which sailed through the apartment block like a ship of nocturnal majesty
(you thought it was just a splashing wave).
You drive me, unshaven, in a silver Octavia to your own lair,
you play me music and pour your rarest rum.
You tell me how you’re doing with money,
and with night’s tide, how you’re doing with love
(that frog tortures you, but you’ll call her again first thing tomorrow).
If our parents were here, they would already have sent us to bed.
And once again, I wouldn’t notice that it’s my younger brother
with whom I’m having the longest relationship of my life.
(And when I want to stay one more night,
it’s clear you’d rather be alone.
Christmas is over.)
ONDŘEJ MACL (b. 1989) is a Czech writer, performer, literary critic, and social worker. His debut collection, Miluji svou babičku víc než mladé dívky (I Love My Grandma More Than Young Women, 2017), won the 2018 Jiří Orten Award. This was followed by a collection of feminist poetry, K čemu jste na světě (What You Were Born For, 2018); the novel-reportage, Výprava na ohňostroj (The Fireworks Expedition, 2019); and a book of political satire, Baban Rejdiš: Legenda o Bocianovi (Baban Rejdiš: Legend of Bocian, 2021). In addition to occasional translations (Roland Barthes, Oscar Wilde, etc.), he works as an editor at the Revue Prostor. He is currently preparing his PhD thesis, České moře (The Czech Sea), for publication.