Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Nano Shabtai

IN THE DEAD BED

I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s room
a 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.

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

Close

IN THE DEAD BED

I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s room
a 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.

IN THE DEAD BED

I’m in Tadeusz Kantor’s room
a 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.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère