poem 24.11.24/digt 24.11.24

you take off
your reading glasses
meaning to put on
the normal specs
but you forget

and stumble through
winter-dark rooms
looking for something
you can’t quite see
which makes you
forget what it was
you were looking for

what was it?
why did you need
what you now
have forgotten?
what is it
you’ve forgotten?
and where
is it?

you end up
by the kitchen sink
and wash your hands

that’s the least
you can do
now you’re here

that’s a sinsible
thing to do

isn’t it?

shadows live longer now

outside ice falls

but
you have clean hands
now

at least
you have that

*

du tager
læsebrillerne af
for at tage
de normale briller på
men det
glemmer du

og vakler gennem
vintermørke værelser
mens du leder efter noget
du ikke rigtig kan se
hvilket får dig til
at glemme hvad et var
du ledte efter

hvad var det?
hvorfor havde du brug for
dét du nu har glemt?
hvad er det
du har glemt?
og hvor
er det?

du ender
ved køkkenvasken
og vasker dine hænder

det er det mindste
du kan gøre
nu du er her

det er en fornuftig
ting at gøre

er det ikke?

skygger lever længere nu

udenfor falder der is

men
du har rene hænder
nu

i det mindste
har du dét

Sleeping Food

As a continuation of exploring counter-point/juxtapostion in poetry to create a kind of dialogue in the reader’s mind, these are experiments to find out whether a title – or what presents itself as a title typographically – could function as a first line in a poem. Normally we read the title as a more or less comprehensive catch-phrase of what the text below it will reveal, but in this case the following phrase/poem will be in juxtaposition to what the title proposes. The basic presumption is that “the space” between the two parts creates a room for the reader to enter. I hope it works.

MENTALLY AN OVERRIPE PLUM

suck
shoe
suck

.

SHE DOESN’T LIFT HER FEET

blackshirts taken

.

I’M SURE THE BEACH WON’T MIND

your eye’s a bridge swelling

.

CACOPHONY

easel

.

IT’S MY BRAIN IN YOUR NUTSHELL

one stone four falling with the sparrows

.

TIME SITS ON A BLUE 3-LEGGED STOOL

always she’s closer

.

IT’S A KIND OF MECHANICAL SLEEP

an omelet enters a now

.

ALL THOSE YELLOW HOUSES

someone else
with a parrot

.

MORNING DROP

bird black bird

.

I MEANT TO POST A CRYING EMOJI BUT IT CAME OUT A GOLFER

all that beach and no gulls

.

FOREIGN

[music]

in hand

.

DID SHE JUST SING THE WORD UMLAUT?

sausage cloud

.

RE SISTING

laces

.

YOU NEVER KNOW THIS TIME

mind gravel

.

PEAR

take this this

.

OH, HE MISSED!

a
finger
left
in
silence

.

FOOTPRINTS

but if the waters won’t

.

INTUITED TOMATO

the spellchecker doesn’t believe in Attenborough

.

EMPTY BUT FOR HATS

sleeping food

La Peñuela

in
La Peñuela
in 1591

every
flame

had
a drop
of water

inside

and

every
drop
of water

had
a flame

inside

i
La Peñuela
i 1591

havde
enhver
flamme

en dråbe
vand

indeni

og

enhver
dråbe
vand

havde
en flamme

indeni

insp. by St. John of the Cross

poems

As a continuation of exploring counter-point/juxtapostion in poetry to create a kind of dialogue in the reader’s mind, these are experiments to find out whether a title – or what presents itself as a title typographically – could function as a first line in a poem. Normally we read the title as a more or less comprehensive catch-phrase of what the text below it will reveal, but in this case the following phrase/poem will be in juxtaposition to what the title proposes. The basic presumption is that “the space” between the two parts creates a room for the reader to enter. I hope it works.

…*…

THE LONGEST DAY EVER RECORDED
when you turn your head the pain subsides

.

DEN LÆNGSTE DAG DER NOGENSINDE ER MÅLT

når du drejer hovedet aftager smerten

:

THE DENTIST ISN’T IN TODAY

I’ve only seen the Eiffel Tower

.

TANDLÆGEN ER HER IKKE I DAG

jeg har kun set Eiffeltårnet

:

FRIDAY

have you noticed the nails are bleeding?

.

FREDAG

har Du lagt mærke til at sømmene bløder?

:

YOU LOOK AT THE COBWEB IN THE CEILING AND SIGH

it’s no use
the pizza
sleeps

DU SER PÅ SPINDELVÆVET I LOFTET OG SUKKER

det nytter ikke noget
pizzaen
sover

:

ELEGY

she always tries to smile backwards

.

ELEGI

hun prøver altid at smile baglæns

:

NOT YOU, YOU CAN’T SHUT UP

every drop
’s full
of rain

.

IKKE DIG, DU KAN IKKE HOLDE KÆFT

enhver dråbe
r fuld
af regn

monostich

like my father and mother I have the sky above me

som min far og mor har jeg himlen over mig

.

today the rain doesn’t care if you’re a hipster or a beggar

i dag er regnen ligeglad med om du er hipster eller tigger

.

arrogantly I think the cornflower in me is my own doing

arrogant tænker jeg at kornblomsten i mig er én jeg har groet selv

.

stay out long enough and the wind will take your place

vær ude længe nok og vinden vil tage din plads

.

I didn’t stop the sunlight from crawling across the table

jeg forhindrede ikke sollyset i at kravle over bordet

.

sometimes an apple sleeps

nogle gange sover et æble

.

do they talk when they cannot paint?

snakker de når de ikke kan male?

.

someone’s tearing up the street

en eller anden river gaden op

.

looks like he’s proud of his jackhammer

ser ud til at han er stolt af sit trykluftbor

.

four lighters on the table and spring has begun

fire lightere på bordet og foråret er begyndt

.

time doesn’t stop when you change the date

tiden står ikke stille når du retter på datoen