Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Shai Dotan

ONE MINUTE

Just one minute. I want
to scream. I shot him. He advanced
with a suspicious face. Who knew his pockets
were empty, his bag full of clothes.

Perhaps he didn’t have a work permit,
or once stole across the border. Perhaps he didn’t hear
my hands shouting, the blood
pounding in the chest, knocking on my temples.

Sometimes he wakes in my sleep
hard as lead, empty as the wind,
he says to me: My killer,
I never knew
you were of that kind.

רֶגַע אֶחָד

רֶגַע אֶחָד

רַק רֶגַע אֶחָד. אֲנִי רוֹצֶה
לִצְעֹק. יָרִיתִי בּוֹ. הוּא הִתְקַדֵּם
בְּפָנִים חֲשׁוּדִים. מִי יָדַע שֶׁכִּיסָיו
.רֵיקִים, שֶׁתִּיקוֹ מָלֵא בְּגָדִים

,יִתָּכֵן שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה לוֹ אִשּׁוּר עֲבוֹדָה
שֶׁגָּנַב פַּעַם אֶת הַגְּבוּל. אוּלַי לֹא שָׁמַע
אֶת יָדַי צוֹעֲקוֹת, אֶת הַדָּם
.חוֹבֵט בֶּחָזֶה, מַקִּישׁ בָּרַקּוֹת

לִפְעָמִים הוּא מֵקִיץ בִּשְׁנָתִי
,קָשֶׁה כְּמוֹ עוֹפֶרֶת, רֵיק כְּמוֹ רוּחַ
אוֹמֵר לִי: הוֹרְגִי, לֹא יָדַעְתִּי
שֶׁאַתָּה בְּמִדָּה כָּזֹאת

Close

ONE MINUTE

Just one minute. I want
to scream. I shot him. He advanced
with a suspicious face. Who knew his pockets
were empty, his bag full of clothes.

Perhaps he didn’t have a work permit,
or once stole across the border. Perhaps he didn’t hear
my hands shouting, the blood
pounding in the chest, knocking on my temples.

Sometimes he wakes in my sleep
hard as lead, empty as the wind,
he says to me: My killer,
I never knew
you were of that kind.

ONE MINUTE

Just one minute. I want
to scream. I shot him. He advanced
with a suspicious face. Who knew his pockets
were empty, his bag full of clothes.

Perhaps he didn’t have a work permit,
or once stole across the border. Perhaps he didn’t hear
my hands shouting, the blood
pounding in the chest, knocking on my temples.

Sometimes he wakes in my sleep
hard as lead, empty as the wind,
he says to me: My killer,
I never knew
you were of that kind.
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