Doubt Poems
Your world
by Mario Odekerken
You say,
this is your world.
Neat,
manageable,
controllable.
I see you sitting
between lines and lists,
where every feeling
must have its place.
......
Deine Welt
by Mario Odekerken
Du sägst,
das ist deine Welt.
Ordentlich,
überschaubar,
beherrschbar.
Ich sehe dich sitzen
zwischen Linien und Listen,
wo jedes Gefühl
einen Platz haben muss.
......
Running
by Tash Jane
Do you suffer loneliness at night?
Keep a hold
Are you stirred, shattered and shy?
Don't let it go
Is there any doubt when the hurt, the hurt it does you proud?
Draw circles round the targets,
Look how far you've came.
With bare feet, keep running
......
Werkelijkheid
by Mario Odekerken
De kamer is stil,
maar mijn hoofd beweegt.
Gedachten schuiven als wolken
voorbij een zon die ik niet zie.
Ik kijk naar mijn handen
alsof ze me iets willen vertellen
wat ik allang vergeten ben.
Mijn dromen zijn dromen
......
Cockroach Race
by Igor Vykhovanets
Clara and Karl
Karl and Clara—
Fools, but paired.
Faithful, hopeful,
Yet impaired.
Building dreams
Through storm and night,
Where dark and hate
......
Slipping Away
by Kara Prince
When Mamaw was pregnant with Mama, there was an ugly snowstorm all down the Mason-Dixon. Mamaw drove herself from work, out of the city, and onto country roads slick with black ice, all the while dreading the hairpin turn that would bring her home one way or another. As her hands gripped the steering wheel and she wished she had sprung for those new three-point seat belts, she got a glimpse of two bundled figures pushing trucks around the bend. Papaw and his brother had helped all the passing motorists when the roads got bad, until Papaw drove Mamaw the rest of the way home.
Mamaw told me this story last week. She’s worried about me living alone this winter, and Papaw’s been gone ten years now. I wonder if Papaw went out “just in case”, or if he was waiting for Mamaw.
They’re calling for five inches on Sunday. I know that isn’t much, but you know I can’t drive for shit. I asked myself if you were the kind of man who would help the passing motorists. Of course you would, if you were already out and saw them struggling.
I’m not carrying your child, but I wonder if you would insist on picking me up from work. The thought makes me feel alone all over again this winter.
Dubbelzinnig verlangen
by Mario Odekerken
Je zegt wat ik wil horen
maar kijkt alsof je twijfelt
ik stap naar je toe
en blijf toch staan
ergens tussen dichtbij
en beter van niet.
Vor dem Wort
by Mario Odekerken
Irgendwo
zwischen deinem Blick und meinem Atem
schwebt etwas,
das noch keine Sprache erträgt.
Es ist kein Anfang,
doch auch kein Ende,
nur ein Zittern,
das sich noch nicht entschieden hat
für Nähe
......
Before the word
by Mario Odekerken
Somewhere
between your gaze and my breath
floats something
that cannot yet bear language.
It is not a beginning,
but not an ending either,
only a tremor
that has not yet chosen
to come close
......
Voor het woord
by Mario Odekerken
Ergens
tussen je blik en mijn adem
zweeft iets
dat nog geen taal verdraagt.
Het is geen begin,
maar ook geen einde,
slechts een trilling
die nog niet kiest
voor nabijheid
......
