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Poem

Shai Dotan

POETRY INFLUENCES THE WORLD

My wife grew a beak.
I think the poetry did it
I might have exaggerated a bit
with the bird metaphor. See,
I told her, poetry influences the world.
Was she offended. She didn't express it
with words, but a nervous twitch of the neck,
the jumpiness in her heels
gave her away. It didn't help
that I bothered to dice vegetables and bake bread.
The moment I opened the window
my wife spread her arms.

השירה משפיעה על העולם

השירה משפיעה על העולם

אִשְׁתִּי הִצְמִיחָה מַקּוֹר
.אֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁזֶּה בִּגְלַל הַשִּׁירָה
מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהִגְזַמְתִּי קְצָת
,עִם הַדִּמּוּי שֶׁל הַצִּפּוֹר. הִנֵּה
.אָמַרְתִּי לָהּ, הַשִּׁירָה מַשְׁפִּיעָה עַל הָעוֹלָם
אֵיךְ שֶׁהִיא נֶעֶלְבָה. הִיא לֹא אָמְרָה
בְּמִלִּים, אֲבָל הַנִּיעַ הָעַצְבָּנִי שֶׁל הַצַּוָּאר
וְהַדְּרִיכוּת הַקְּפִיצִית בָּרַגְלַיִם
הִסְגִּירוּ הַכֹּל. לֹא עָזַר
.שֶׁטָּרַחְתִּי לִקְצֹץ סָלָט, לְטַגֵּן חֲבִיתוֹת
בָּרֶגַע שֶׁפָּתַחְתִּי חַלּוֹן
.פָּרְשָׂה שְׁתֵּי זְרוֹעוֹת

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POETRY INFLUENCES THE WORLD

My wife grew a beak.
I think the poetry did it
I might have exaggerated a bit
with the bird metaphor. See,
I told her, poetry influences the world.
Was she offended. She didn't express it
with words, but a nervous twitch of the neck,
the jumpiness in her heels
gave her away. It didn't help
that I bothered to dice vegetables and bake bread.
The moment I opened the window
my wife spread her arms.

POETRY INFLUENCES THE WORLD

My wife grew a beak.
I think the poetry did it
I might have exaggerated a bit
with the bird metaphor. See,
I told her, poetry influences the world.
Was she offended. She didn't express it
with words, but a nervous twitch of the neck,
the jumpiness in her heels
gave her away. It didn't help
that I bothered to dice vegetables and bake bread.
The moment I opened the window
my wife spread her arms.
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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
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