Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Shoichiro Iwakiri

TO LIVE

To live
is always convoluted
it constantly harms the so-called Self.
What a sloppy mess it is to live.
I am doing today
what I was appalled to see others doing a few days ago.
While I allow myself love and happiness
the world becomes ambiguous at the point of touching another
what my eyes see during the day will not revert to the
           anonymity of Nature

Born like mushrooms from the great earth
we walk on along our paths.
Beautiful lumps of flesh, slack lumps of flesh
different shapes placed over different masses –
allowing skin to blur the lines our eyes see
we see what is vulnerable, and know what is threatened

LEVEN

Leven,
altijd ingewikkeld is dat,
gedurig beschadigt het dingen die mij toebehoren.
Zaken als leven, slonzig zijn ze.
Zaken die me enkele dagen geleden nog verafschuwden in anderen,
vandaag voer ik ze eigenhandig uit.
Terwijl ik mezelf liefde en geluk vergeef,
vervaagt de wereld op het punt waar ik ermee in contact kom
en wat ik die dag onder ogen kreeg, wil maar niet terug naar naamloos zijn.

Uit aarde ontspruit de ene, de andere,
het stappen met stevig geplante stappen bovenop de weg.
Een fraaie vleesklomp, een slonzige vleesklomp,
een laag van een andere vorm op een ander gewicht gelegd,
dingen die door ogen afgebakend worden met huiden onhelder maken,
zien wat broos was, weten wat bedreigd werd.

Close

TO LIVE

To live
is always convoluted
it constantly harms the so-called Self.
What a sloppy mess it is to live.
I am doing today
what I was appalled to see others doing a few days ago.
While I allow myself love and happiness
the world becomes ambiguous at the point of touching another
what my eyes see during the day will not revert to the
           anonymity of Nature

Born like mushrooms from the great earth
we walk on along our paths.
Beautiful lumps of flesh, slack lumps of flesh
different shapes placed over different masses –
allowing skin to blur the lines our eyes see
we see what is vulnerable, and know what is threatened

TO LIVE

To live
is always convoluted
it constantly harms the so-called Self.
What a sloppy mess it is to live.
I am doing today
what I was appalled to see others doing a few days ago.
While I allow myself love and happiness
the world becomes ambiguous at the point of touching another
what my eyes see during the day will not revert to the
           anonymity of Nature

Born like mushrooms from the great earth
we walk on along our paths.
Beautiful lumps of flesh, slack lumps of flesh
different shapes placed over different masses –
allowing skin to blur the lines our eyes see
we see what is vulnerable, and know what is threatened
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère