Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Branko Maleš

how should i address you?


my wife fell asleep in the bed!
the tv turned off on its own and became
furniture, i took a deep breath and
now i’m diving!
in such silence everything works!
like a thunder, freed from the nylon
bag, my wife’s chin flashed!
when she turned, she had a beard like
philosophy!
so many hegels in bed!
i gave her roses and said:
what a day!
we avoided the denunciating syntax,
we, actually, didn’t know who talked to whom
and who slept!
i was so courteous that the light went
out!
shall we? i asked, showing her the dark
the light finally became our topic!
i didn’t know if she were leaving me when she moved,
when he moved toward the exhausted bulb?
perhaps she’d already become a saint!
perhaps someplace they celebrate her as a date!
perhaps she’s salty under the beard?
who knows those things, honey?
plumbers are bright people, but where
can you find a bright plumber so quickly
in zagreb
croatia’s business, political and cultural
center?
i’ve got to head to the moon right now! how much junk?!
haa! i’ll yell toward zajčeva!
my wife’s dreaming, and i’m watching her dream!
i’ll wake her up,
the picture’s getting worse
the colors are hairy!
if she wakes up, we’ll talk about vcr!
everything is a topic!

kako da te oslovim?

kako da te oslovim?


moja je žena zaspala na krevetu!
televizija se sama ugasila i postala
namještaj, ja sam udahnuo duboko i
sada ronim!
u takvoj tišini sve uspijeva!
kao munja, oslobođena najlonske
vrećice, mojoj je ženi sijevnula brada!
kad se okrenula, imala je bradu kao
filozofija!
koliko hegela na krevetu!
dao sam joj ruže i rekao:
kakav dan!
izbjegavali smo denuncirajuću sintaksu,
nije se, zapravo, znalo tko s kim razgovara
a tko spava!
bio sam toliko učtiv da je svjetiljka pre-
gorjela!
hoćemo li? rekao sam pokazujući mrak
svjetlo je konačno postalo tema!
nisam znao napušta li me kad je krenula,
kad je krenuo prema iscrpljenoj žarulji?
možda je već postala sveta!
možda je već negdje slave kao datum!
možda je slana ispod brade?
tko to zna, dragi?
vodoinstalateri su bistri ljudi, ali gdje
naći tako brzo jednog bistrog vodoinstalatera
u zagrebu
koji je ekonomsko, političko i kulturno središte
hrvatske?
moram odmah na mjesec! koliko smeća?!
haa! vikat ću prema zaječvoj!
moja žena sanja, a ja gledam njen san!
probudit ću je,
slika je sve lošija
boje su dlakave!
ako se probudi, pričat ćemo o video-recorderu!
sve je tema!
Close

how should i address you?


my wife fell asleep in the bed!
the tv turned off on its own and became
furniture, i took a deep breath and
now i’m diving!
in such silence everything works!
like a thunder, freed from the nylon
bag, my wife’s chin flashed!
when she turned, she had a beard like
philosophy!
so many hegels in bed!
i gave her roses and said:
what a day!
we avoided the denunciating syntax,
we, actually, didn’t know who talked to whom
and who slept!
i was so courteous that the light went
out!
shall we? i asked, showing her the dark
the light finally became our topic!
i didn’t know if she were leaving me when she moved,
when he moved toward the exhausted bulb?
perhaps she’d already become a saint!
perhaps someplace they celebrate her as a date!
perhaps she’s salty under the beard?
who knows those things, honey?
plumbers are bright people, but where
can you find a bright plumber so quickly
in zagreb
croatia’s business, political and cultural
center?
i’ve got to head to the moon right now! how much junk?!
haa! i’ll yell toward zajčeva!
my wife’s dreaming, and i’m watching her dream!
i’ll wake her up,
the picture’s getting worse
the colors are hairy!
if she wakes up, we’ll talk about vcr!
everything is a topic!

how should i address you?


my wife fell asleep in the bed!
the tv turned off on its own and became
furniture, i took a deep breath and
now i’m diving!
in such silence everything works!
like a thunder, freed from the nylon
bag, my wife’s chin flashed!
when she turned, she had a beard like
philosophy!
so many hegels in bed!
i gave her roses and said:
what a day!
we avoided the denunciating syntax,
we, actually, didn’t know who talked to whom
and who slept!
i was so courteous that the light went
out!
shall we? i asked, showing her the dark
the light finally became our topic!
i didn’t know if she were leaving me when she moved,
when he moved toward the exhausted bulb?
perhaps she’d already become a saint!
perhaps someplace they celebrate her as a date!
perhaps she’s salty under the beard?
who knows those things, honey?
plumbers are bright people, but where
can you find a bright plumber so quickly
in zagreb
croatia’s business, political and cultural
center?
i’ve got to head to the moon right now! how much junk?!
haa! i’ll yell toward zajčeva!
my wife’s dreaming, and i’m watching her dream!
i’ll wake her up,
the picture’s getting worse
the colors are hairy!
if she wakes up, we’ll talk about vcr!
everything is a topic!
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère