Walls

I meet a woman who tells me that she can hear through walls. To prove her skill, I invite her to my place. As soon as we enter the apartment, I ask her to tell me what my neighbours are talking about. But instead of putting her ear to the living room wall, she places her ear to my abdomen. Behind your navel is a Wall of Snow - says the woman. Curious, I ask her what she hears through wall. I hear the sound of sleet falling on the roof, a mother’ sighing and a baby grinding its teeth… I want to ask her who built the wall, but there is no one in the room, save my mother in her coffin.


Réka Nyitrai is a spell, a sparrow, a lioness's tongue — a bird nest in a pool of dusk. She is the recipient of a Touchstone Distinguished Books Award for 2020 for her debut haiku volume While Dreaming Your Dreams (Valencia Spain: Mono Ya Mono Books, 2020).