Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Kim Hyesoon

A SUBLIME KITCHEN

                                                They came to eat the moon again
                                                The women ate the moon and their bellies grew each month
                                                They squeezed breast-milk into the moon,
                                                Added the refreshing scent of mint to the roasted moon

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The secretive chirp of the cooks dressed in white
The swirling storm severing the necks of wild ducks
on hundreds of wooden chopping boards
It was a sublime kitchen

                                                A guest with a child entered
                                                Mommy, mommy, can I have a glass of tangy star?
                                                She brought out a drink made of powdered rain cloud
                                                and floated an icy star in it

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The rain cloud of flour mushroomed
and all kinds of dead animals’ blood flowed down the drain
the cries of countless spoons, chopsticks, fingers, toes
got sucked into the dishpan
It was a sublime kitchen

                         It’s time to prepare a midnight meal
                         She cracked the moon over the frying pan
                         a hole as deep as a fingernail appeared on the moon
                         then a flock of birds crawled out from the hole
                         with their wings that can be fried
                         The flock of birds spread their black wings
                         across the sky as the night deepened
                         She roasted the wings all night

Slobbered, chewed, licked, burped, chewed and chewed, sucked, tasted, drank,
got fed nonstop, swallowed and shouted Cheers! Eat more! Hey, Over here! One
more bottle! Smacked lips, belched, gagged

Like the lips that never once closed
the buildings on both sides of the street at night
the sound of them being fed the night sky through their huge openings
Everything was sublime

DE SUBLIEME KEUKEN

                        zij kwamen andermaal de maan eten
de vrouwen aten van de maan, vulden maandelijks hun maag
wrongen hun melk uit en voegden het fijne aroma
van hemelse pepermunt toe aan de gebakken maan
 
ik gluurde ooit binnen in hun keuken
heimelijk kwetterden koks in witte kleren
bij de woeste storm
van honderden houten hakborden
waarop wilde eenden de nek werd afgehakt
het was een sublieme keuken
 
                        er kwamen gasten met kinderen binnen
mamma mamma ik wil een glaasje wrange ster
ze haalden een vriezenskoude ster tevoorschijn
lieten die drijven in een drank van fijngemalen regenwolken
 
ik gluurde ooit binnen in hun keuken
een storm van wolken tarwebloem stak op
het bloed van pasgestorven dieren vloeide door de afvoer
het gebrul van talloze lepels, eetstokjes, vingers en tenen
werd de afwasbak ingezogen
het was een sublieme keuken
 
tijd om het nachtmaal te maken
zij braken de maan in de pan
in de maan ontstond een gat groot als een vingernagel
daaruit kroop een vogelzwerm vleugels om te bakken
hoe dieper de nacht hoe meer de vogelzwerm
met het uitvouwen van zijn zwarte vleugels de hemel vulde
ze bakten die de hele nacht lang
 
kwijlen, kauwen, likken, boeren, knabbelen, zuigen, proeven, drinken, dooreten, doorslikken, ‘proost’ brallen, ‘neem nog wat!’ roepen, ‘hierheen!’ roepen, ‘nog een fles’ brullen, smakken, bulken, rispen, kuchen
 
de klank van het naar binnen werken van deze nacht
met wagenwijd open de gebouwen aan weerszijden
van de nachtelijke straat als lippen die nooit aaneensloten
het was allemaal subliem 

Close

A SUBLIME KITCHEN

                                                They came to eat the moon again
                                                The women ate the moon and their bellies grew each month
                                                They squeezed breast-milk into the moon,
                                                Added the refreshing scent of mint to the roasted moon

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The secretive chirp of the cooks dressed in white
The swirling storm severing the necks of wild ducks
on hundreds of wooden chopping boards
It was a sublime kitchen

                                                A guest with a child entered
                                                Mommy, mommy, can I have a glass of tangy star?
                                                She brought out a drink made of powdered rain cloud
                                                and floated an icy star in it

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The rain cloud of flour mushroomed
and all kinds of dead animals’ blood flowed down the drain
the cries of countless spoons, chopsticks, fingers, toes
got sucked into the dishpan
It was a sublime kitchen

                         It’s time to prepare a midnight meal
                         She cracked the moon over the frying pan
                         a hole as deep as a fingernail appeared on the moon
                         then a flock of birds crawled out from the hole
                         with their wings that can be fried
                         The flock of birds spread their black wings
                         across the sky as the night deepened
                         She roasted the wings all night

Slobbered, chewed, licked, burped, chewed and chewed, sucked, tasted, drank,
got fed nonstop, swallowed and shouted Cheers! Eat more! Hey, Over here! One
more bottle! Smacked lips, belched, gagged

Like the lips that never once closed
the buildings on both sides of the street at night
the sound of them being fed the night sky through their huge openings
Everything was sublime

A SUBLIME KITCHEN

                                                They came to eat the moon again
                                                The women ate the moon and their bellies grew each month
                                                They squeezed breast-milk into the moon,
                                                Added the refreshing scent of mint to the roasted moon

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The secretive chirp of the cooks dressed in white
The swirling storm severing the necks of wild ducks
on hundreds of wooden chopping boards
It was a sublime kitchen

                                                A guest with a child entered
                                                Mommy, mommy, can I have a glass of tangy star?
                                                She brought out a drink made of powdered rain cloud
                                                and floated an icy star in it

I caught a glimpse of her kitchen once
The rain cloud of flour mushroomed
and all kinds of dead animals’ blood flowed down the drain
the cries of countless spoons, chopsticks, fingers, toes
got sucked into the dishpan
It was a sublime kitchen

                         It’s time to prepare a midnight meal
                         She cracked the moon over the frying pan
                         a hole as deep as a fingernail appeared on the moon
                         then a flock of birds crawled out from the hole
                         with their wings that can be fried
                         The flock of birds spread their black wings
                         across the sky as the night deepened
                         She roasted the wings all night

Slobbered, chewed, licked, burped, chewed and chewed, sucked, tasted, drank,
got fed nonstop, swallowed and shouted Cheers! Eat more! Hey, Over here! One
more bottle! Smacked lips, belched, gagged

Like the lips that never once closed
the buildings on both sides of the street at night
the sound of them being fed the night sky through their huge openings
Everything was sublime
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