Nano Shabtai
A LITTLE DEATH
I invented this story:in shiny red shoes
I entered the fancy car
(strange, I imagined
a jalopy)
I was attracted to men a little rotten
with worn leather briefcases and faraway looks
cracks opened
lava overflowed
(which probably sounds old-fashioned)
the “r”s rolled in from Poland and Russia
all the way to the hotel
“You’ve got a grrrreat body”
(rrrrrr)
and it’s important to mention
the first time you had bad breath
were impotent
but all that’s
between parentheses
questions asked between the sheets
about aging and surroundings
and what will people say
once we ate shrimp
but we always drank beer
the time came when I thought
the time had come
the wife continued to live
and the plans too
I thought to myself it’s the end of the world
but it wasn’t
I used to smoke Lucky Strikes
and switched to something light
you said I shook up your life
but fell asleep anyway
at three in the morning in the winter
I called to say something about this
I thought everything was important
including writing
I started this story
and . . .
at the sound of your voice
I would have died
a little death.
מִיתָה קְטַנָּה
מִיתָה קְטַנָּה
אֲנִי הִמְצֵאתִי אֶת הַסִּפּוּר הַזֶּה
בְּנַעֲלֵי לַכָּה אֲדֻמּוֹת
נִכְנַסְתִּי אֶל הַמְּכוֹנִית הַיְּקָרָה
הָיָה מוּזָר, עַד אָז דִּמְייַנְתִּי )
( שֶׁתִּהְיֶה טָרַנְטֶה
נִמְשַׁכְתִּי לכאלה גַּבְרִיִּים קְצָת רְקוּבִים
עִם תִּיק עוֹר מָהוּהַּ וּמַבָּט מְנֻתָּק
הִתְחִילוּ סְדָקִים
הַלָּבָה פָּרְצָה
(זֶה בֶּטַח נִשְׁמַע מְיֻשָּׁן)
הריש הִתְגַּלְגְּלָה לָהּ מִפּוֹלִין וְרוּסְיָה
עַד חֶדֶר בַּמָּלוֹן עִם
"יֵשׁ לָךְ גּוּף אדיר"
(...רררררר)
חָשׁוּב גַּם לְצַיֵּן
שֶׁפַּעַם רִאשׁוֹנָה הַפֶּה שֶׁלְּךָ
הִסְרִיחַ וְהָיִיתָ אִימְפּוֹטֶנְט
אֲבָל כָּל זֶה זֶה
בְּסוֹגְרַיִם
שְׁאֵלוֹת שנשאלו בֵּין הַסְּדִינִים
זִקְנָה, סְבִיבָה
וּמַה יַּגִּידוּ עוֹד
פַּעַם אָכַלְנוּ שְׁרִימְפְּס
אֲבָל תָּמִיד תָּמִיד שָׁתִינוּ בִּירָה
הִגִּיעַ הַזְּמַן שֶׁחָשַׁבְתִּי
שֶׁהִגִּיעַ הַזְּמַן
הָאיִשָּׁה הִמְשִׁיכָה לִחְיוֹת
וְכָךְ גַּם הַתָּכְנִיּוֹת
חָשַׁבְתִּי לְעַצְמִי שֶׁזֶּה סוֹף הָעוֹלָם
אֲבָל זֶה לֹא הָיָה
עיִשַּׁנְתִּי לאקי סטרייק
וְעָבַרְתִּי לְמַשֶּׁהוּ לייט
אָמַרְתָּ שֶׁטִּלְטַלְתִּי אֶת הַחַיִּים שֶׁלְּךָ
וּבְכָל זֹאת הָיִית נִרְדַּם
בַּחוֹרֶף בְּשָׁלוֹשׁ בַּבֹּקֶר
טִלְפַּנְתִּי לְהַגִּיד מַשֶּׁהוּ עַל זֶה
חָשַׁבְתִּי שֶׁהַכֹּל חָשׁוּב
גַּם מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב
אֲנִי הִתְחַלְתִּי אֶת הַסִּפּוּר הַזֶּה
...וַאֲנִי
רַק מֵהַקּוֹל שֶׁלְּךָ
הָיִיתִי מֵתָה
מִיתָה קְטַנָּה
From: The Iron Girl
Publisher: Yedioth Ahronoth and Hemed Books, Tel Aviv
A LITTLE DEATH
I invented this story:in shiny red shoes
I entered the fancy car
(strange, I imagined
a jalopy)
I was attracted to men a little rotten
with worn leather briefcases and faraway looks
cracks opened
lava overflowed
(which probably sounds old-fashioned)
the “r”s rolled in from Poland and Russia
all the way to the hotel
“You’ve got a grrrreat body”
(rrrrrr)
and it’s important to mention
the first time you had bad breath
were impotent
but all that’s
between parentheses
questions asked between the sheets
about aging and surroundings
and what will people say
once we ate shrimp
but we always drank beer
the time came when I thought
the time had come
the wife continued to live
and the plans too
I thought to myself it’s the end of the world
but it wasn’t
I used to smoke Lucky Strikes
and switched to something light
you said I shook up your life
but fell asleep anyway
at three in the morning in the winter
I called to say something about this
I thought everything was important
including writing
I started this story
and . . .
at the sound of your voice
I would have died
a little death.
From: The Iron Girl
A LITTLE DEATH
I invented this story:in shiny red shoes
I entered the fancy car
(strange, I imagined
a jalopy)
I was attracted to men a little rotten
with worn leather briefcases and faraway looks
cracks opened
lava overflowed
(which probably sounds old-fashioned)
the “r”s rolled in from Poland and Russia
all the way to the hotel
“You’ve got a grrrreat body”
(rrrrrr)
and it’s important to mention
the first time you had bad breath
were impotent
but all that’s
between parentheses
questions asked between the sheets
about aging and surroundings
and what will people say
once we ate shrimp
but we always drank beer
the time came when I thought
the time had come
the wife continued to live
and the plans too
I thought to myself it’s the end of the world
but it wasn’t
I used to smoke Lucky Strikes
and switched to something light
you said I shook up your life
but fell asleep anyway
at three in the morning in the winter
I called to say something about this
I thought everything was important
including writing
I started this story
and . . .
at the sound of your voice
I would have died
a little death.
Sponsors
