Poem
Ester Naomi Perquin
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CHICKEN
We’ve almost finished the plucking. Naked birdslie gleaming at us, even under their feathers they’re all chicken.
If we were able to eat each other we would taste
different than before, with clothes on – you and I are what we wear
much more fully than they are and have been so good at it for years
that it hurts us, nakedness.
We have a last look at what’s lying there – again and again
they assemble themselves before our eyes, all those elegant,
relevant bones, recognisable remains, every scrap
they owned butchered, there’s always
something left over that we want to be ourselves: always
recognisable as one and the same face
on ever-changing heads.
© Translation: 2012, Paul Vincent
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CHICKEN
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CHICKEN
We hebben nu bijna alles geplukt. Naakte vogels liggen onsblauw aan te glanzen, ook onder hun veren zijn ze nog kip.
Waren wij in staat van elkaar te eten dan smaakten wij
anders dan eerder, met kleren – jij en ik zijn wat we dragen
veel beter dan zij en wij zijn het al jaren zo goed
dat het ons zeer doet, dat naakte.
We kijken nog even naar wat er nu ligt – telkens opnieuw
zetten ze zich voor onze ogen in elkaar, al die knappe,
terzake doende botten, herkenbare resten, het hele
hebben en houden gekloven, steeds
blijft er iets over dat we zelf willen zijn: altijd
herkenbaar als één en hetzelfde gezicht
in almaar wisselende hoofden.
© 2009, Ester Naomi Perquin
From: Namens de ander
Publisher: Van Oorschot, Amsterdam
From: Namens de ander
Publisher: Van Oorschot, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of Ester Naomi Perquin
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CHICKEN
We’ve almost finished the plucking. Naked birdslie gleaming at us, even under their feathers they’re all chicken.
If we were able to eat each other we would taste
different than before, with clothes on – you and I are what we wear
much more fully than they are and have been so good at it for years
that it hurts us, nakedness.
We have a last look at what’s lying there – again and again
they assemble themselves before our eyes, all those elegant,
relevant bones, recognisable remains, every scrap
they owned butchered, there’s always
something left over that we want to be ourselves: always
recognisable as one and the same face
on ever-changing heads.
© 2012, Paul Vincent
From: Namens de ander
From: Namens de ander
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CHICKEN
We’ve almost finished the plucking. Naked birdslie gleaming at us, even under their feathers they’re all chicken.
If we were able to eat each other we would taste
different than before, with clothes on – you and I are what we wear
much more fully than they are and have been so good at it for years
that it hurts us, nakedness.
We have a last look at what’s lying there – again and again
they assemble themselves before our eyes, all those elegant,
relevant bones, recognisable remains, every scrap
they owned butchered, there’s always
something left over that we want to be ourselves: always
recognisable as one and the same face
on ever-changing heads.
© 2012, Paul Vincent
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