אתה מתעורר [Ata Mit'orer] [English translation]

You wake up

The pillow beside you is still warm

We all know it's a lie

She's been gone for years

But just like phantom pains

Sometimes the pillow is still warm

You practice sitting in the kitchen and other stuff

That people in your age do

There's no point in it

It passes the time, and many years have passed indeed

Don't become the sad man from the song

Give me a reason to believe

That sadness has an end1

You call her every day at the same time

It's like feeding fish in a bowl

There's no compensation in it

What's more, she hasn't lived here in years

So I answer the phone every day at the same time

I wouldn't want to ruin your routine

Yes, it's strange

But stranger things have happened

And there's comfort in it

You and I are like two satellites

In the lonely space

Waiting for a sign to come

Don't become the sad man from the song

Give me a reason to believe

That sadness has an end

You cut out and keep funny items from the newspaper

Things that you can do without

But it's nicer with them

They fill the house with marginality and insignificance

You watch

A coffee stain on the dining table

Suddenly it grows and fills up the room

Crawls on the walls

Reaches out long arms and strangles you slowly

So you call me, untypically late

We're silent and then you quote a poem by Avidan2

Either way,

The stain is still on the wall

1. a reference to "A Felicidade" by Tom Jobim and its Hebrew translation by Ehud Manor. The song begins with the line "sadness has no end, happiness does"2. David Avidan, an Israeli poet