Poem
Lali Tsipi Michaeli
IN THE SILENCE BEFORE ALL
And so it was written that the peopleAnd it was quite a story
One too many in fact
And a metaphorical baton
And blood
And men and women were there
Not in equal number
But it is possible to say that the voices of the women
Became louder at a certain point
And I had a neighbor with an accent
Who would ask me
What's happening here
What's going on
And it wasn't that I knew how to tell her or wanted to
But I was a kind of conduit for her
And so I said in passing that
The situation is bad and we mustn't stay quiet
And she told me about the place she had lived in the past
And about the injustice she had experienced
She says
I don’t want that here
I don't want that here either
Like this I leave the building
To the road which doesn’t know left from right
Only my neighbor and I
On the dark stairway
In the silence
Before all.
© Translation: 2018, Michael Simkin
בַּשקט לפני הכל
בַּשקט לפני הכל
אָז כָּתְבוּ שֶׁהָעָם
וְהָיָה שָׁם סִפּוּר
אֶחָד יוֹתֵר מִדַּי
וְשַׁרְבִיט מֶטָאפוֹרִי
וְדָם
וְהָיוּ שָׁם גְּבָרִים וְנָשִׁים
לֹא בְּמִדָּה שָׁוָה
אֲבָל אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר שֶׁקּוֹלוֹת הַנָּשִׁים
גָּבְרוּ בְּשָׁלָב מְסֻיָּם
וְהָיְתָה לִי שְׁכֵנָה עִם מִבְטָא
שֶׁשָּׁאֲלָה אוֹתִי כָּל הַזְּמַן
מַה קּוֹרֶה פֹּה
לָמָּה כָּכָה
וְלֹא שֶׁיָּדַעְתִּי לְסַפֵּר אוֹ רָצִיתִי
אֲבָל הָיִיתִי סוּג שֶׁל צִנּוֹר בִּשְׁבִילָהּ
וְלָכֵן זָרַקְתִּי לָהּ
הַמַּצָּב רַע וְאָסוּר לִשְׁתֹּק
וְהִיא סִפְּרָה עַל מְקוֹם מְגוּרֵי הֶעָבָר
וְעַל הָעֲוָלוֹת שֶׁחָוְתָה
הִיא אוֹמֶרֶת
אֲנִי לֹא רוֹצָה
לֹא רוֹצָה גַּם כָּאן
כָּכָה אֲנִי יוֹצֵאת מֵהַבִּנְיָן
לִרְחוֹב שֶׁלֹּא יוֹדֵעַ מִימִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ
רַק אֲנִי וְהַשְּׁכֵנָה שֶׁלִּי
בַּחֲדַר הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת הָאָפֵל
בַּשֶּׁקֶט
לִפְנֵי הַכֹּל.
וְהָיָה שָׁם סִפּוּר
אֶחָד יוֹתֵר מִדַּי
וְשַׁרְבִיט מֶטָאפוֹרִי
וְדָם
וְהָיוּ שָׁם גְּבָרִים וְנָשִׁים
לֹא בְּמִדָּה שָׁוָה
אֲבָל אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר שֶׁקּוֹלוֹת הַנָּשִׁים
גָּבְרוּ בְּשָׁלָב מְסֻיָּם
וְהָיְתָה לִי שְׁכֵנָה עִם מִבְטָא
שֶׁשָּׁאֲלָה אוֹתִי כָּל הַזְּמַן
מַה קּוֹרֶה פֹּה
לָמָּה כָּכָה
וְלֹא שֶׁיָּדַעְתִּי לְסַפֵּר אוֹ רָצִיתִי
אֲבָל הָיִיתִי סוּג שֶׁל צִנּוֹר בִּשְׁבִילָהּ
וְלָכֵן זָרַקְתִּי לָהּ
הַמַּצָּב רַע וְאָסוּר לִשְׁתֹּק
וְהִיא סִפְּרָה עַל מְקוֹם מְגוּרֵי הֶעָבָר
וְעַל הָעֲוָלוֹת שֶׁחָוְתָה
הִיא אוֹמֶרֶת
אֲנִי לֹא רוֹצָה
לֹא רוֹצָה גַּם כָּאן
כָּכָה אֲנִי יוֹצֵאת מֵהַבִּנְיָן
לִרְחוֹב שֶׁלֹּא יוֹדֵעַ מִימִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ
רַק אֲנִי וְהַשְּׁכֵנָה שֶׁלִּי
בַּחֲדַר הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת הָאָפֵל
בַּשֶּׁקֶט
לִפְנֵי הַכֹּל.
© 2018, Lali Tsipi Michaeli
From: Madhouse הבית המשוגע
Publisher: Even Hoshen, Ra\'anana
From: Madhouse הבית המשוגע
Publisher: Even Hoshen, Ra\'anana
Poems
Poems of Lali Tsipi Michaeli
Close
IN THE SILENCE BEFORE ALL
And so it was written that the peopleAnd it was quite a story
One too many in fact
And a metaphorical baton
And blood
And men and women were there
Not in equal number
But it is possible to say that the voices of the women
Became louder at a certain point
And I had a neighbor with an accent
Who would ask me
What's happening here
What's going on
And it wasn't that I knew how to tell her or wanted to
But I was a kind of conduit for her
And so I said in passing that
The situation is bad and we mustn't stay quiet
And she told me about the place she had lived in the past
And about the injustice she had experienced
She says
I don’t want that here
I don't want that here either
Like this I leave the building
To the road which doesn’t know left from right
Only my neighbor and I
On the dark stairway
In the silence
Before all.
© 2018, Michael Simkin
From: Madhouse הבית המשוגע
From: Madhouse הבית המשוגע
IN THE SILENCE BEFORE ALL
And so it was written that the peopleAnd it was quite a story
One too many in fact
And a metaphorical baton
And blood
And men and women were there
Not in equal number
But it is possible to say that the voices of the women
Became louder at a certain point
And I had a neighbor with an accent
Who would ask me
What's happening here
What's going on
And it wasn't that I knew how to tell her or wanted to
But I was a kind of conduit for her
And so I said in passing that
The situation is bad and we mustn't stay quiet
And she told me about the place she had lived in the past
And about the injustice she had experienced
She says
I don’t want that here
I don't want that here either
Like this I leave the building
To the road which doesn’t know left from right
Only my neighbor and I
On the dark stairway
In the silence
Before all.
© 2018, Michael Simkin
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