Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Yan Jun

APRIL 1, sunny and windy. We ate sesame cakes and salad for lunch

We turned into whatever we ate
turned into sheep, peaches, chicken’s feet, sometimes hot peppers

We ate at the same time, sometimes we didn’t eat
In the morning we ate the night, in the south we ate compasses

Ate tears, ate up a country, putting the leftovers in the fridge
sometimes we ate people, some people objected

We discovered medicine, sometimes it was poison
we got excited, sometimes we didn’t move, as if we’d eaten turtles

We fell in love, becoming part of each other
We turned into politics, turned into chemistry, we didn’t care

We will die, becoming part of time itself
one grain of rice, two grains of rice, in the midst of the steam we forget

1 APRIL, ZONNIG MET WIND. SHAOBING EN SALADE VOOR LUNCH

we veranderen in wat we eten
een schaap, een perzik, kippentenen en soms ook chilipepers

we eten tegelijk, soms eten we niet
we eten de nacht voor ontbijt, een kompas in het zuiden

we eten tranen, eten een land, de restjes gaan in de koelkast
soms eten we mensen, iets dat niet iedereen tolereert

we hebben medicijn ontdekt, soms is het gif
we zijn ontroerd, soms roerloos, alsof we een schildpad hebben opgegeten

onze liefde voor elkaar, wordt een deel van de ander
we worden politiek, we worden chemisch, het maakt ons niet uit

we gaan dood en worden zelf de tijd
een korrel rijst, twee korrels rijst, we worden vergeten in de stoom

Close

APRIL 1, sunny and windy. We ate sesame cakes and salad for lunch

We turned into whatever we ate
turned into sheep, peaches, chicken’s feet, sometimes hot peppers

We ate at the same time, sometimes we didn’t eat
In the morning we ate the night, in the south we ate compasses

Ate tears, ate up a country, putting the leftovers in the fridge
sometimes we ate people, some people objected

We discovered medicine, sometimes it was poison
we got excited, sometimes we didn’t move, as if we’d eaten turtles

We fell in love, becoming part of each other
We turned into politics, turned into chemistry, we didn’t care

We will die, becoming part of time itself
one grain of rice, two grains of rice, in the midst of the steam we forget

APRIL 1, sunny and windy. We ate sesame cakes and salad for lunch

We turned into whatever we ate
turned into sheep, peaches, chicken’s feet, sometimes hot peppers

We ate at the same time, sometimes we didn’t eat
In the morning we ate the night, in the south we ate compasses

Ate tears, ate up a country, putting the leftovers in the fridge
sometimes we ate people, some people objected

We discovered medicine, sometimes it was poison
we got excited, sometimes we didn’t move, as if we’d eaten turtles

We fell in love, becoming part of each other
We turned into politics, turned into chemistry, we didn’t care

We will die, becoming part of time itself
one grain of rice, two grains of rice, in the midst of the steam we forget
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