David Avidan
AND THOU ART PERMITTED TO ANY MAN
a man lives with a woman for months and years
they share love and joy and hate and daggers
and sleep in the small hours on blankets without sheets
they don’t have children and they sleep like little children
the walls fan out over them and the ceiling whispers clouds
God’s in heaven and tomorrow’s a new day people change
for better and worse it’s a delicate matter
a man lives with a woman and exchanges substances with her
their biological ages combine and a strange glow takes hold
and they move from room to room and don’t get along
not with themselves and not with each other and not with anybody else
but they’ve been together since they hitched themselves together
and two ram’s horns are stuck in the window like a pair of birds
careful children summer is over the nights are already cold
a man and a woman live by themselves they don’t have children
he’s alone and she’s alone the two of them alone
they have a lot of acquaintances and a few admirers
he’s special and she’s special the two of them are special
he accumulates possibilities and documents and she accumulates clothing
they share nothing but sex and solitude and despair and fear
and at a certain point that was quite obvious from the start they split
a man lives with a woman for two years in an apartment
with makeshift furniture and ancient terrors and no good tidings
a man lives with a woman in a rented apartment
and loves her and she him he said she said
the whole thing started somehow last year
when it was wonderful and unexpectedly went bad
there are no clouds in heaven and no God in the ceiling
a man lives with a woman and now it’s over
he packs up and she packs up short and simple
they share nothing but white darkness and undefined flickering
and a closet and carpets and a little extra cleaning fluid
a man lives with a woman and now it crashes
and two ram’s horns in the window are beating their wings like a pair of pigeons
what was was and what’s over is over
הרי את מותרת לכל אדם
הרי את מותרת לכל אדם
From: Practical Poems
Publisher: Lewin-Epstein, Tel Aviv
AND THOU ART PERMITTED TO ANY MAN
a man lives with a woman for months and years
they share love and joy and hate and daggers
and sleep in the small hours on blankets without sheets
they don’t have children and they sleep like little children
the walls fan out over them and the ceiling whispers clouds
God’s in heaven and tomorrow’s a new day people change
for better and worse it’s a delicate matter
a man lives with a woman and exchanges substances with her
their biological ages combine and a strange glow takes hold
and they move from room to room and don’t get along
not with themselves and not with each other and not with anybody else
but they’ve been together since they hitched themselves together
and two ram’s horns are stuck in the window like a pair of birds
careful children summer is over the nights are already cold
a man and a woman live by themselves they don’t have children
he’s alone and she’s alone the two of them alone
they have a lot of acquaintances and a few admirers
he’s special and she’s special the two of them are special
he accumulates possibilities and documents and she accumulates clothing
they share nothing but sex and solitude and despair and fear
and at a certain point that was quite obvious from the start they split
a man lives with a woman for two years in an apartment
with makeshift furniture and ancient terrors and no good tidings
a man lives with a woman in a rented apartment
and loves her and she him he said she said
the whole thing started somehow last year
when it was wonderful and unexpectedly went bad
there are no clouds in heaven and no God in the ceiling
a man lives with a woman and now it’s over
he packs up and she packs up short and simple
they share nothing but white darkness and undefined flickering
and a closet and carpets and a little extra cleaning fluid
a man lives with a woman and now it crashes
and two ram’s horns in the window are beating their wings like a pair of pigeons
what was was and what’s over is over
From: Practical Poems
AND THOU ART PERMITTED TO ANY MAN
a man lives with a woman for months and years
they share love and joy and hate and daggers
and sleep in the small hours on blankets without sheets
they don’t have children and they sleep like little children
the walls fan out over them and the ceiling whispers clouds
God’s in heaven and tomorrow’s a new day people change
for better and worse it’s a delicate matter
a man lives with a woman and exchanges substances with her
their biological ages combine and a strange glow takes hold
and they move from room to room and don’t get along
not with themselves and not with each other and not with anybody else
but they’ve been together since they hitched themselves together
and two ram’s horns are stuck in the window like a pair of birds
careful children summer is over the nights are already cold
a man and a woman live by themselves they don’t have children
he’s alone and she’s alone the two of them alone
they have a lot of acquaintances and a few admirers
he’s special and she’s special the two of them are special
he accumulates possibilities and documents and she accumulates clothing
they share nothing but sex and solitude and despair and fear
and at a certain point that was quite obvious from the start they split
a man lives with a woman for two years in an apartment
with makeshift furniture and ancient terrors and no good tidings
a man lives with a woman in a rented apartment
and loves her and she him he said she said
the whole thing started somehow last year
when it was wonderful and unexpectedly went bad
there are no clouds in heaven and no God in the ceiling
a man lives with a woman and now it’s over
he packs up and she packs up short and simple
they share nothing but white darkness and undefined flickering
and a closet and carpets and a little extra cleaning fluid
a man lives with a woman and now it crashes
and two ram’s horns in the window are beating their wings like a pair of pigeons
what was was and what’s over is over
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