Poetry. Translation. Translated from the Slovak by Viera and James Sutherland-Smith as part of the Contemporary European Poetry series edited by Peter Milcak (other titles available at SPD). Ivan Laucik, a member of the literary group the Solitary Runners, has published several collections of poetry in his native Slovakia, including Mobile Within Mobility, We Are Akin from the Beginning, and Threshold of Hearing. In addition, his poetry has appeared in various anthologies of contemporary Slovakian poetry. "Look, clamour. Matt steel. Sounds dwindling./ Pressure in the forests. The table worn to the bone./ Summer closes quickly. The palate is flooded/ with burnt caramel./ I live off hasty grasses...."--from "My Dear Friends!" Also features drawings by Marek Ormandik.