Signe Gjessing
'It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light'
It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light,
as it wets the lips of needles again and again,
chasing states away, won’t glimmer, won’t glint
or warm, hit with darkness,
looking for other kinds of light and disappearing when it finds them
at various sharp
nuisances,
intensifying
so, you’re about to pull the light
back, even though it’s not stated anywhere that the day can be cancelled
swiftly, we turn our necks toward the unreadable necks,
and it rushes out of us: it’s stated here that it cannot
but that’s a lie, no,
a novelty
the skin, panic's best opponent, puts its thin layer on a board
like a contract
instead of light: dualism’s hands. We feel them both at once
for the first time. They rip our skin in half.
From: Ud i det u-løse
Publisher: First publication on poetryinternational.com, , 2023
'Het begint onderdrukkend te worden met het licht'
Het begint onderdrukkend te worden met het licht,
zoals het de lippen van de naalden steeds weer bevochtigt,
jaagt toestanden weg, wil niet schitteren, niet flikkeren
niet warmen, slaat het donker dicht,
zoekt naar andere soorten licht en verdwijnt als het die vindt
op diverse punten
slechte gewoontes,
die nemen toe
dus is men bezig het licht terug te
trekken, hoewel nergens staat dat je de dag op kunt zeggen
snel, we draaien onze nek ernaartoe, de onleesbare nekken,
en het vliegt uit onze mond: hier staat dat dat niet kan
maar dat is toch gelogen, nee een
nieuwtje:
de huid, de beste tegenstander van de paniek, gokt zijn dunne laagje op een keuze
als contract
in plaats van licht: de handen van het dualisme. We voelen ze allebei tegelijk
voor het eerst. Ze scheuren onze huid doormidden.
From: Ud i det u-løse
Publisher: 2023, Voor het eerst gepubliceerd op PoetryInternational.com,
'Det er ved at blive voldsomt presserende med det lys'
Det er ved at blive voldsomt presserende med det lys,
som det fugter nålenes læber igen og igen,
jager tilstande bort, vil ikke glitre, ikke glimte
ikke varme, smækker med mørket,
leder efter andre slags lys og forsvinder, når det finder dem
på diverse spidse
uskikke,
de tager til
altså er man ved at trække lyset
tilbage, selvom det ikke står noget sted, at dagen kan opsiges
hurtigt, vi vender nakkerne til, de ulæselige nakker,
og det ryger ud af os: her står det, at den ikke kan
men det er jo løgn, nej en
nyhed:
huden, panikkens fineste modstander, sætter sit tynde lag på ét bræt
som kontrakt
i stedet for lys: dualismens hænder. Vi mærker dem begge på én gang
for første gang. De river vores hud midt over.
From: Ud i det u-løse
Publisher: Gyldendal,
'It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light'
It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light,
as it wets the lips of needles again and again,
chasing states away, won’t glimmer, won’t glint
or warm, hit with darkness,
looking for other kinds of light and disappearing when it finds them
at various sharp
nuisances,
intensifying
so, you’re about to pull the light
back, even though it’s not stated anywhere that the day can be cancelled
swiftly, we turn our necks toward the unreadable necks,
and it rushes out of us: it’s stated here that it cannot
but that’s a lie, no,
a novelty
the skin, panic's best opponent, puts its thin layer on a board
like a contract
instead of light: dualism’s hands. We feel them both at once
for the first time. They rip our skin in half.
From: Ud i det u-løse
Publisher: 2023, First publication on poetryinternational.com,
'It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light'
It’s becoming tremendously urgent with that light,
as it wets the lips of needles again and again,
chasing states away, won’t glimmer, won’t glint
or warm, hit with darkness,
looking for other kinds of light and disappearing when it finds them
at various sharp
nuisances,
intensifying
so, you’re about to pull the light
back, even though it’s not stated anywhere that the day can be cancelled
swiftly, we turn our necks toward the unreadable necks,
and it rushes out of us: it’s stated here that it cannot
but that’s a lie, no,
a novelty
the skin, panic's best opponent, puts its thin layer on a board
like a contract
instead of light: dualism’s hands. We feel them both at once
for the first time. They rip our skin in half.
From: Ud i det u-løse
Publisher: 2023, First publication on poetryinternational.com,