Poem
Nano Shabtai
IN THE DEAD BED
I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s rooma quarter hour a whole world
we meet in the dead bed
as if from the same grade
he sings to me in Polish
I answer in gibberish
feel used but not useful
he wants me the way a director
muses on old age
wants the girl in me
songs and skeletons
red velvet
agreeable pottage
but inside it feels bad
clothed bodies
naked underwear
he’s already completely swallowed up behind a tongue
when suddenly a knock and . . . doorbell
my boyfriend
looking at his watch
I’m all red and steamy
Tadeusz’s mouth seethes fish . . .
nice and now we split.
© Translation: 2009, Lisa Katz
בַּמִּטָּה הַמֵּתָה
בַּמִּטָּה הַמֵּתָה
אֲנִי בַּחֶדֶר שֶׁל תָדֵיאוּשׁ קָנְטוֹר
כָּאן רֶבַע שָׁעָה זֶה עוֹלָם
נִפְגַּשְׁנוּ בַּמִּטָּה הַמֵּתָה
וְגַם כְּאִלּוּ מֵאוֹתָהּ כִּתָּה
הוּא שָׁר לִי שִׁירִים בְּפוֹלָנִית
אֲנִי עוֹנָה בְּשָׂפָה גִ\'יבְּרִישִׁית
מַרְגִּישָׁה מְשֻׁמֶּשֶׁת אַךְ לֹא שִׁמּוּשִׁית
הוּא רוֹצֶה אוֹתִי כְּמוֹ שֶׁבַּמַּאי
מִתְעַניְיֵן בְּזִקְנָה
וְרוֹצֶה בִּי יָלְדָה
שִׁירִים וּשְׁלָדִים
קְטִיפָה אֲדֻמָּה
נָזִיד נָעִים
וְרַע מִבִּפְנִים
גּוּפִים לְבוּשִׁים
תַּחְתּוֹנִים עירומים
הוּא נִבְלַע כְּבָר לְגַמְרֵי אַחֲרֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן
כְּשֶׁפִּתְאוֹם דְּפִיקָה ו ... פַּעֲמוֹן
שלי boy friend זֶה ה
...מִסְתַּכֵּל בַּשָּׁעוֹן
כֻּלִּי מְאֻדָּה בְּאֵדִים אֲדֻמִּים
...וְהַפֶּה שֶׁל תדיאוש מַהְבִּיל מִדָּגִים
הָיָה נָעִים וְעַכְשָׁו אָנוּ נָעִים
© 2006, Nano Shabtai
From: The Iron Girl
Publisher: Yedioth Ahronoth and Hemed Books, Tel Aviv
From: The Iron Girl
Publisher: Yedioth Ahronoth and Hemed Books, Tel Aviv
Poems
Poems of Nano Shabtai
Close
IN THE DEAD BED
I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s rooma quarter hour a whole world
we meet in the dead bed
as if from the same grade
he sings to me in Polish
I answer in gibberish
feel used but not useful
he wants me the way a director
muses on old age
wants the girl in me
songs and skeletons
red velvet
agreeable pottage
but inside it feels bad
clothed bodies
naked underwear
he’s already completely swallowed up behind a tongue
when suddenly a knock and . . . doorbell
my boyfriend
looking at his watch
I’m all red and steamy
Tadeusz’s mouth seethes fish . . .
nice and now we split.
© 2009, Lisa Katz
From: The Iron Girl
From: The Iron Girl
IN THE DEAD BED
I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s rooma quarter hour a whole world
we meet in the dead bed
as if from the same grade
he sings to me in Polish
I answer in gibberish
feel used but not useful
he wants me the way a director
muses on old age
wants the girl in me
songs and skeletons
red velvet
agreeable pottage
but inside it feels bad
clothed bodies
naked underwear
he’s already completely swallowed up behind a tongue
when suddenly a knock and . . . doorbell
my boyfriend
looking at his watch
I’m all red and steamy
Tadeusz’s mouth seethes fish . . .
nice and now we split.
© 2009, Lisa Katz
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