Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Marcel Beyer

Rapeseed

It’s noon, you’re sitting behind the wheel
in an empty country road, a couple of Polish stations
are cutting in and out, nothing speaks in you, you’re on the point
of thinking you grew up mute, and then this: rape,

hard edge, clean line, scattered, dense rape work,
hatched and cross-hatched rape, the field fills, the screen fills with rape,
rape up to your hairline, brimful of rape,

rape eyes, rape head, rape rustle, rape scrape, nothing cattle cake,
nothing margerine, nothing but rape.

Raps

Raps

Auf einer leeren Landstraße sitzt du am Mittag hinterm
Steuer, zwei polnische Sender wechseln sich ab, in
dir spricht nichts, du meinst schon bald, du bist ganz
ohne Wörter aufgewachsen, und dann das: Raps,

hart gezeichnet, klare Linie, gestreute, dichte Rapsarbeit,
das Feld läuft an, das Bild läuft voll mit Raps, Raps
bis zur Kante, bis zum Haaransatz, randvoll mit Raps,

Rapsaugen, Rapskopf, Rapsgeräusche, kein Presszeug,
keine Margarine, nichts als Raps.
Close

Rapeseed

It’s noon, you’re sitting behind the wheel
in an empty country road, a couple of Polish stations
are cutting in and out, nothing speaks in you, you’re on the point
of thinking you grew up mute, and then this: rape,

hard edge, clean line, scattered, dense rape work,
hatched and cross-hatched rape, the field fills, the screen fills with rape,
rape up to your hairline, brimful of rape,

rape eyes, rape head, rape rustle, rape scrape, nothing cattle cake,
nothing margerine, nothing but rape.

Rapeseed

It’s noon, you’re sitting behind the wheel
in an empty country road, a couple of Polish stations
are cutting in and out, nothing speaks in you, you’re on the point
of thinking you grew up mute, and then this: rape,

hard edge, clean line, scattered, dense rape work,
hatched and cross-hatched rape, the field fills, the screen fills with rape,
rape up to your hairline, brimful of rape,

rape eyes, rape head, rape rustle, rape scrape, nothing cattle cake,
nothing margerine, nothing but rape.
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