Poem
Barbara Köhler
HINGE-ANGEL
things which have nothing to do
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
© Translation: 2011, Donna Stonecipher
ANGEL
ANGEL
die dinge die mit mir nichts zu tun haben
wollen die menschen die gehen sie bleiben
mir: befremdlich die ordnung & die andere
hälfte des lebens eine zeit die halbwerts
zeit ist gleich gültig zerfall & strahlung
von dingen, die aus der habhaft entlassen
sind heruntergekommen & kontaminieren die
gründe auf denen ich gehe: abgefallen vom
glauben ans unbedingte das nicht gehalten
hat wie alles versprochene versagt das am
boden liegende ding die auskunft: distanz
halten & loslassen aufheben die erdung in
augenschein nehmen die dinge die menschen
leere zeit zu vergessen was gut & böse war
zu erfüllen – die dinge lassen mich gehen
mich sehen ein ding der unmöglichkeit das
unding mensch es könnt lieben könnte gehen
wollen die menschen die gehen sie bleiben
mir: befremdlich die ordnung & die andere
hälfte des lebens eine zeit die halbwerts
zeit ist gleich gültig zerfall & strahlung
von dingen, die aus der habhaft entlassen
sind heruntergekommen & kontaminieren die
gründe auf denen ich gehe: abgefallen vom
glauben ans unbedingte das nicht gehalten
hat wie alles versprochene versagt das am
boden liegende ding die auskunft: distanz
halten & loslassen aufheben die erdung in
augenschein nehmen die dinge die menschen
leere zeit zu vergessen was gut & böse war
zu erfüllen – die dinge lassen mich gehen
mich sehen ein ding der unmöglichkeit das
unding mensch es könnt lieben könnte gehen
© 1996, Barbara Köhler
From: orts zeit [katalog a.renger-patzsch, b.köhler, b.reichlin]
Publisher: pict. Im, Duisburg & Berlin
From: orts zeit [katalog a.renger-patzsch, b.köhler, b.reichlin]
Publisher: pict. Im, Duisburg & Berlin
Poems
Poems of Barbara Köhler
Close
HINGE-ANGEL
things which have nothing to do
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
© 2011, Donna Stonecipher
From: orts zeit [katalog a.renger-patzsch, b.köhler, b.reichlin]
From: orts zeit [katalog a.renger-patzsch, b.köhler, b.reichlin]
HINGE-ANGEL
things which have nothing to do
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
with me nor wish to the people
coming and going they remain
strange to me: order and the other
half of life and a time like a half-
life in different disintegration radi-
ation of things let go from the gotten-
hold-of come down and contaminate
the grounds over which i go: fallen
from a faith in the absolute that did
not hold like all promises with
held the thing lying on the ground
the facts: keep one’s distance and let
go lift up the grounding keep it in
sight things people empty time
to forget what was good or evil
to fulfill – things let me go and
see a thing of impossibility a no-
thing it could love it could go
© 2011, Donna Stonecipher
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère