Poem
Anne Vegter
Medea 2.0:6
6i met the sorceress myself
the old hag who bought a castle of her own
somewhere on an island on the western coast
visible from the train
on which i steamed up
from the south
she cheered
she was in love
she was cast out
jason I’ll be honest with you:
i cast her out myself
it took months to lure her back
to my text
there are different versions of me doing the rounds
what matters is who put them into circulation:
mothers husbands lovers
sisters children kingdoms
or predators
the castle was just a metaphor for
a place where i went down
collapsing was just a metaphor for
my all-consuming shame
the mother who lost her children
is she still a mother
the beloved stretched his skin
unfolded the creases
pregnant four times
by the love bandit
the captor
two wished-for girls
untimely
one part of one
was weak went by itself
three had to die
two were radiant
born from our heart
a hag arose
it had taken months
to lure her back to my bed
it’s this story that really
renders all other stories redundant
(see medea)
© Translation: 2021,
Medea 2.0:6
Medea 2.0:6
6ik heb de tovenares zelf ontmoet
de oude kol die zich een kasteel kocht
ergens op een eiland aan de westkust
zichtbaar vanuit de trein
waarmee ik uit het zuiden
opstoomde
ze juichte
ze was verliefd
ze werd verstoten
jason ik zal eerlijk met je zijn:
ik heb haar zelf verstoten
het kostte maanden haar terug te lokken
naar mijn tekst
er doen versies van me de ronde
wat daarbij telt is wie ze in roulatie bracht:
moeders mannen geliefden
zusters kinderen koningshuizen
of roofdieren
het kasteel was maar een metafoor voor
een plek waar ik neerging
ineenzakken was maar een metafoor voor
mijn verterende schaamte
de moeder die haar kinderen verloor
is die nog steeds een moeder
het lief rekte zijn huid
vouwde de plooien open
vier keer zwanger
van de liefdesbandiet
de gijzelnemer
twee wensmeisjes
ontijdig
één deel van één
was zwak ging zelf
drie moesten dood
twee werden stralend
uit ons hart geboren
een kol stond op
het had maanden gekost
haar terug te lokken naar mijn bed
het is dit verhaal dat alle andere verhalen
in feite overbodig maakt
(zie medea)
© 2020, Anne Vegter
From: Big Data
Publisher: Querido,
From: Big Data
Publisher: Querido,
Poems
Poems of Anne Vegter
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Medea 2.0:6
6i met the sorceress myself
the old hag who bought a castle of her own
somewhere on an island on the western coast
visible from the train
on which i steamed up
from the south
she cheered
she was in love
she was cast out
jason I’ll be honest with you:
i cast her out myself
it took months to lure her back
to my text
there are different versions of me doing the rounds
what matters is who put them into circulation:
mothers husbands lovers
sisters children kingdoms
or predators
the castle was just a metaphor for
a place where i went down
collapsing was just a metaphor for
my all-consuming shame
the mother who lost her children
is she still a mother
the beloved stretched his skin
unfolded the creases
pregnant four times
by the love bandit
the captor
two wished-for girls
untimely
one part of one
was weak went by itself
three had to die
two were radiant
born from our heart
a hag arose
it had taken months
to lure her back to my bed
it’s this story that really
renders all other stories redundant
(see medea)
© 2021, Anne Vegter
From: Big Data
From: Big Data
Medea 2.0:6
6i met the sorceress myself
the old hag who bought a castle of her own
somewhere on an island on the western coast
visible from the train
on which i steamed up
from the south
she cheered
she was in love
she was cast out
jason I’ll be honest with you:
i cast her out myself
it took months to lure her back
to my text
there are different versions of me doing the rounds
what matters is who put them into circulation:
mothers husbands lovers
sisters children kingdoms
or predators
the castle was just a metaphor for
a place where i went down
collapsing was just a metaphor for
my all-consuming shame
the mother who lost her children
is she still a mother
the beloved stretched his skin
unfolded the creases
pregnant four times
by the love bandit
the captor
two wished-for girls
untimely
one part of one
was weak went by itself
three had to die
two were radiant
born from our heart
a hag arose
it had taken months
to lure her back to my bed
it’s this story that really
renders all other stories redundant
(see medea)
© 2021,
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