Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jeroen Theunissen

SKETCH

The ventilator-lady talks
with eyes in her plant.
Yes she has eyes in her plant.
She talks, there are friends.
There’s no summer or youth,
there’s this cafe, there are friends,
hoodwinked by exhaust fumes
and flexibility.
She then moves
like one peels oranges:
primps, plays
with fingers.
She moves in a drawing.
And she smiles.
It’s all right, she says.

And the low-energy light bulb man
wonders why she moves. He only calls
because he has a telephone.
He wants to leave, the days
should have taken him
to another land.
Where people speak Italian.
At times he doesn’t want to leave but stay.
And she talks with eyes in her plant.

SCHETS

SCHETS

De ventilatordame praat
met ogen in haar plant.
Ze heeft dus ogen in haar plant.
Ze praat, er zijn vriendinnen.
Er is geen zomer of jeugd,
er is dit café, er zijn vriendinnen,
bedrogen door uitlaatgassen
en flexibiliteit.
Ze beweegt dan
zoals men sinaasappels
betast, bespeelt, behandelt
met vingers.
Ze beweegt in een tekening.
En ze glimlacht.
Het is in orde, zegt ze.

En de spaarlampman vraag zich af
waarom ze beweegt. Hij belt net
omdat hij telefoon heeft.
Hij wil weg, de dagen hadden
hem mee moeten nemen
naar een ander gebied.
Men spreekt er Italiaans.
Soms wil hij niet weg maar blijven.
En zij praat met ogen in haar plant.
Close

SKETCH

The ventilator-lady talks
with eyes in her plant.
Yes she has eyes in her plant.
She talks, there are friends.
There’s no summer or youth,
there’s this cafe, there are friends,
hoodwinked by exhaust fumes
and flexibility.
She then moves
like one peels oranges:
primps, plays
with fingers.
She moves in a drawing.
And she smiles.
It’s all right, she says.

And the low-energy light bulb man
wonders why she moves. He only calls
because he has a telephone.
He wants to leave, the days
should have taken him
to another land.
Where people speak Italian.
At times he doesn’t want to leave but stay.
And she talks with eyes in her plant.

SKETCH

The ventilator-lady talks
with eyes in her plant.
Yes she has eyes in her plant.
She talks, there are friends.
There’s no summer or youth,
there’s this cafe, there are friends,
hoodwinked by exhaust fumes
and flexibility.
She then moves
like one peels oranges:
primps, plays
with fingers.
She moves in a drawing.
And she smiles.
It’s all right, she says.

And the low-energy light bulb man
wonders why she moves. He only calls
because he has a telephone.
He wants to leave, the days
should have taken him
to another land.
Where people speak Italian.
At times he doesn’t want to leave but stay.
And she talks with eyes in her plant.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère