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Gedicht

Clare Pollard

LOVELY TREES

LOVELY TREES

LOVELY TREES

That first autumn our home was ugly with dust;
infuriating with boxes, planks,
buckets we used to flush the loo.
We had no curtains.

Bed-level, you couldn’t see the building site.
We’d wake to a square of tree against sky —
leaves yellow as Pasteis de Nata;
dawn-lit paper lanterns.

On one branch a caught plastic-bag breathed;
on another pigeons, still trying to nap,
kept themselves tucked in —
plump grey jugs.
A great-tit would jiggle, head tilted
as though in understanding.

And below, of course, roots were gagging the drains,
graffiti-ing lightning on walls,
teasing cracks for rats,

and we knew, come New Year, the trees had to be felled —
just as we had to plaster, scrub, paint,
rewire, maintain, move on…

But still, each day you’d wake up
to those glowing tatters and smile.
Say: the tree looks lovelier every day.
And I’d nod, and push thoughts of winter away,
as all lovers must refuse the thought of winter.
Clare Pollard

Clare Pollard

(Verenigd Koninkrijk, 1978)

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LOVELY TREES

That first autumn our home was ugly with dust;
infuriating with boxes, planks,
buckets we used to flush the loo.
We had no curtains.

Bed-level, you couldn’t see the building site.
We’d wake to a square of tree against sky —
leaves yellow as Pasteis de Nata;
dawn-lit paper lanterns.

On one branch a caught plastic-bag breathed;
on another pigeons, still trying to nap,
kept themselves tucked in —
plump grey jugs.
A great-tit would jiggle, head tilted
as though in understanding.

And below, of course, roots were gagging the drains,
graffiti-ing lightning on walls,
teasing cracks for rats,

and we knew, come New Year, the trees had to be felled —
just as we had to plaster, scrub, paint,
rewire, maintain, move on…

But still, each day you’d wake up
to those glowing tatters and smile.
Say: the tree looks lovelier every day.
And I’d nod, and push thoughts of winter away,
as all lovers must refuse the thought of winter.

LOVELY TREES

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