Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Armando

THE FATHER

Was there a way to disappear, was
there a wait, a long wait,
patience and killing time,
what are you doing, what are you up to,
you’re still alive.

It’s odd that you’re alive,
you promised to count the days,
to wait a week at the most.
That’s what you said.

No, then came the father,
handcuffed, in fact,
he’d been traveling, from top to bottom,
and he said that he had lived and
disappeared.

DE VADER

DE VADER

Was er een manier om te verdwijnen, was

er het wachten, het lange wachten, 

geduld en tijdverdrijf,

wat doe je, wat ben je aan het doen,

je leeft nog.

Vreemd dat je leeft,

je had beloofd de dagen te tellen,

hoogstens een week te wachten.

Je hebt gezegd.

Nee, toen kwam de vader,

weliswaar geboeid,

hij had een reis gemaakt, van boven naar beneden

en hij zei dat hij geleefd had en 

verdwenen was.
Close

THE FATHER

Was there a way to disappear, was
there a wait, a long wait,
patience and killing time,
what are you doing, what are you up to,
you’re still alive.

It’s odd that you’re alive,
you promised to count the days,
to wait a week at the most.
That’s what you said.

No, then came the father,
handcuffed, in fact,
he’d been traveling, from top to bottom,
and he said that he had lived and
disappeared.

THE FATHER

Was there a way to disappear, was
there a wait, a long wait,
patience and killing time,
what are you doing, what are you up to,
you’re still alive.

It’s odd that you’re alive,
you promised to count the days,
to wait a week at the most.
That’s what you said.

No, then came the father,
handcuffed, in fact,
he’d been traveling, from top to bottom,
and he said that he had lived and
disappeared.
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Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
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