Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Simone Atangana Bekono

NOT GOOD, II

you walk through the vinyl curtains and here you are again
but who are they? you don't respect them
the people on the couch 

you walk through the vinyl curtains to make a point
you walk through the vinyl curtains made of plastic
thick and grimy and scratched by clasps of bags
and enter what smells like a slaughterhouse because it smells like blood
because something's been cut open and sits to spoil
thick and grimy and scratched by watches
and drunk eyes 

is it a moss-green room
is it a leather-brown room? calfskin?
is it an important room like a map?
is it a trembling stage ringed by walls
thick and flaking wallpaper and full of gas
a cow-like angel-like flock of eyes
looking innocent 

a gunshot needle
hanging dead nervous
alert in a dark corner of that room
the only thing here that shimmers except for the cow eyes
and the tip of it follows you like surveillance cameras while you
make your way to the middle of the room 

whatever it is/shape it is (woman/dog/furniture)
now you can't go back
all the holes to get in/out
and the hesitancies around purity/truth
and value/cognition/metastasis are poetry 

so you walk through the vinyl curtains and there you are again
you're back in the room and it's no dream and it
is not a memory time has gone flat and the room
is forever and in that eternity is a woman headless

NIET GOED II

je loopt door het strokengordijn en je bent er weer
maar wie zijn dat? je respecteert ze niet
die mensen op de bank 

je loopt door het strokengordijn om zo te betreden
je loopt door het strokengordijn dat van plastic is
dik en smoezig en bekrast door tassengespen
en betreedt wat ruikt als een abattoir omdat het naar bloed ruikt
omdat er iets open is gesneden en te bederven ligt
dik en smoezig en bekrast door horloges
en dronken ogen 

is het een mosgroene kamer
is het een leerbruine kamer? kalfsleer?
is het een betekende kamer als een kaart?
is het een trillend platform omringd door muren
dik en bladderend behangen en vol van gassen
een koe-achtige engel-achtige groep ogen
die onschuldig kijkt 

een door een pistool afgeschoten naald
hangt verbijsterend nerveus
alert in een beschaduwde hoek van die ruimte
het enige ding hier dat glimt op de koeienogen na
en de punt ervan volgt je als cctv terwijl je je
richting het midden van de ruimte begeeft 

wat het ook is/welke vorm (vrouw/hond/meubels)
je kunt nu niet terug
alle gaten waardoor be/uittreden mogelijk was
en de aarzelingen omtrent puurheid/waarheid
en waarde/cognitie/metastase zijn gedicht 

dus je loopt door het strokengordijn en je bent er weer
je bent weer in de kamer en het is geen droom en het
is geen herinnering de tijd is plat geworden en de kamer
is eeuwig en in die eeuwigheid staat een vrouw zonder hoofd

Close

NOT GOOD, II

you walk through the vinyl curtains and here you are again
but who are they? you don't respect them
the people on the couch 

you walk through the vinyl curtains to make a point
you walk through the vinyl curtains made of plastic
thick and grimy and scratched by clasps of bags
and enter what smells like a slaughterhouse because it smells like blood
because something's been cut open and sits to spoil
thick and grimy and scratched by watches
and drunk eyes 

is it a moss-green room
is it a leather-brown room? calfskin?
is it an important room like a map?
is it a trembling stage ringed by walls
thick and flaking wallpaper and full of gas
a cow-like angel-like flock of eyes
looking innocent 

a gunshot needle
hanging dead nervous
alert in a dark corner of that room
the only thing here that shimmers except for the cow eyes
and the tip of it follows you like surveillance cameras while you
make your way to the middle of the room 

whatever it is/shape it is (woman/dog/furniture)
now you can't go back
all the holes to get in/out
and the hesitancies around purity/truth
and value/cognition/metastasis are poetry 

so you walk through the vinyl curtains and there you are again
you're back in the room and it's no dream and it
is not a memory time has gone flat and the room
is forever and in that eternity is a woman headless

NOT GOOD, II

you walk through the vinyl curtains and here you are again
but who are they? you don't respect them
the people on the couch 

you walk through the vinyl curtains to make a point
you walk through the vinyl curtains made of plastic
thick and grimy and scratched by clasps of bags
and enter what smells like a slaughterhouse because it smells like blood
because something's been cut open and sits to spoil
thick and grimy and scratched by watches
and drunk eyes 

is it a moss-green room
is it a leather-brown room? calfskin?
is it an important room like a map?
is it a trembling stage ringed by walls
thick and flaking wallpaper and full of gas
a cow-like angel-like flock of eyes
looking innocent 

a gunshot needle
hanging dead nervous
alert in a dark corner of that room
the only thing here that shimmers except for the cow eyes
and the tip of it follows you like surveillance cameras while you
make your way to the middle of the room 

whatever it is/shape it is (woman/dog/furniture)
now you can't go back
all the holes to get in/out
and the hesitancies around purity/truth
and value/cognition/metastasis are poetry 

so you walk through the vinyl curtains and there you are again
you're back in the room and it's no dream and it
is not a memory time has gone flat and the room
is forever and in that eternity is a woman headless

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
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