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Péter Kántor

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Péter Kántor is an acclaimed Hungarian poet and the author of many books, including Unknown Places (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2010). His honors include the Déry Prize, the Füst Milán Award, the József Attila Prize, the Laurel Wreath, the Palladium, and the Vas István Prize, among others.

by this poet

poem
Little Night Prayer
Péter Kántor
2010
Lord, I'm tired,
the bunion on my right foot is throbbing,
I worry about myself.

Who is this anguished man, Lord?
it can't be me,
so woeful and sluggish.					

I would like to trust quietly,
but like waves in the ocean,
tempers bubble up in me.

I try a smile,
but some hairdespair
impedes me.

This isn't all
poem
Moonlight Monologue for the New Kitten
Péter Kántor
2010
The old kitten is replaced by a new baby kitten
the old dog by a new pup
like a dead Monday by Tuesday.

They stroke the new kitten in their laps
so that their excess affection won't go sour,
so that it will love them in return, like the old one did.

But for me they aren't replaceable,
not the kitten, not the
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