Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Robert Perišić

conductors have great memory

conductors have great memory, he gave me
just one look and that was enough for him
I never switch on the reading light
my head bobs in darkness
gazing through the window at woods
laughing heads of politicians on the poles by the road, elections
movies on VHS with many dead Iraqis
b production
Croatia
a cigarette and a toilette in front of a tavern
an unfinished cheese sandwich   
my fellow traveler gives me a look, silence
I put out my cigarette
and enter the bus
 
a head bobs
bus drives by, snubs out houses
northern wind drives out ghosts
 
those woods, towns, karst fields
open spaces, vast landscapes
nothing ever happens, a best-case scenario for them

conductors have great memory

kondukteri imaju sjajno pamćenje, jednom me
pogleda u facu i dosta mu je
lampicu za čitanje ne palim nikad
glava se treska u mraku
zurenje kroz prozor u šumu
glave političara na stupovima uz cestu, smiju se, izbori
filmovi na videu s puno mrtvih Iračana
b produkcija
Hrvatska
cigareta i WC ispred neke birtije
nepojedeni sendvič sa sirom
kratki pogled suputnice i šutnja
gazim cigaretu
ulazim unutra
 
glava se treska
autobus juri uz pogašene kuće
bura tjera duhove
 
te šume, gradići, kraška polja
prostranstva, golemi predjeli
u kojima se, u najboljem slučaju, ništa ne događa
Close

conductors have great memory

conductors have great memory, he gave me
just one look and that was enough for him
I never switch on the reading light
my head bobs in darkness
gazing through the window at woods
laughing heads of politicians on the poles by the road, elections
movies on VHS with many dead Iraqis
b production
Croatia
a cigarette and a toilette in front of a tavern
an unfinished cheese sandwich   
my fellow traveler gives me a look, silence
I put out my cigarette
and enter the bus
 
a head bobs
bus drives by, snubs out houses
northern wind drives out ghosts
 
those woods, towns, karst fields
open spaces, vast landscapes
nothing ever happens, a best-case scenario for them

conductors have great memory

conductors have great memory, he gave me
just one look and that was enough for him
I never switch on the reading light
my head bobs in darkness
gazing through the window at woods
laughing heads of politicians on the poles by the road, elections
movies on VHS with many dead Iraqis
b production
Croatia
a cigarette and a toilette in front of a tavern
an unfinished cheese sandwich   
my fellow traveler gives me a look, silence
I put out my cigarette
and enter the bus
 
a head bobs
bus drives by, snubs out houses
northern wind drives out ghosts
 
those woods, towns, karst fields
open spaces, vast landscapes
nothing ever happens, a best-case scenario for them
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