Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Zvonko Maković

porgy & bess band

to lie, why not. after all words are
arbitrary; words that are not things,
words that are not words. to lie, why not
to put it in words. i rise and approach the table: i did not rise,
i did not approach the table. the switch on the radio
cannot pop out: if it is pressed, then it can.

words and words, to lie and not-lie. why shouldn’t i
lie? why shouldn’t i utter any word
that presently occupies me though i don’t consider it –
for utterance – quite decidedly i don’t consider. why:
to speak (i do not want to say) and speak but not to
speak. “speak” in all three cases is a lie.

to lie, why not lie. i started to utter
and i’d already lied: the past tense is not the present.
the present is the past. words are not words. words
are words. to lie, why not? i set my lips
as if i’d say: attic. i didn’t say it, the lips were
betrayed: to lie, why not, to lie words,

string words in a lie. switch them. spit,
bluffing tenderness. words are not words.
bastard lips, oral cavity smoke, sediment
of chattering memory: words (to lie, why not?)
to turn from the tongue to the teeth, from the teeth to the gums,
then into the gyre: to lie, why not?

porgy & bess band

porgy & bess band

lagati, zašto ne. ionako su rijeci
proizvoljne; rijeci koje nisu stvari,
rijeci koje nisu rijeci. lagati, zašto ne:
rijecima. ustajem i prilazim stolu: nisam ustao,
stolu nisam prišao. prekidac radio aparata
ne može van iskociti: ako ga se pritisne, onda da.

rijeci i rijeci, lagati i ne-lagati. zašto ne bih
lagao? zašto ne bih izgovarao bilo koju rijec
koja me trenutno opsjeda i ne mislim na nju -
za izgovora - sasvim sigurno ne mislim. zašto:
govoriti  (ne želim reci) i govoriti a ne
govoriti. "govoriti" u sva tri slucaja je laž.

lagati, zašto ne lagati. poceo sam izgovarati
i vec sam slagao: perfekt nije prezent.
prezent je perfekt. rijeci nisu rijeci. rijeci
su rijeci. lagati, zašto ne? podesio sam usta
kao da cu reci: tavan. nisam rekao, usta su
prevarena: lagati, zašto ne. lagati rijeci,

rijeci slágati u laž. obrnuti ih. popljuvati,
izigravajuci nježnost. rijeci nisu rijeci.
kopile usnice, dim usne šupljine, talog
brbljive memorije: rijeci (lagati, zašto ne?)
obrtati s jezika na zube, sa zuba na désni,
onda u kovitlac: lagati, zašto ne?
Close

porgy & bess band

to lie, why not. after all words are
arbitrary; words that are not things,
words that are not words. to lie, why not
to put it in words. i rise and approach the table: i did not rise,
i did not approach the table. the switch on the radio
cannot pop out: if it is pressed, then it can.

words and words, to lie and not-lie. why shouldn’t i
lie? why shouldn’t i utter any word
that presently occupies me though i don’t consider it –
for utterance – quite decidedly i don’t consider. why:
to speak (i do not want to say) and speak but not to
speak. “speak” in all three cases is a lie.

to lie, why not lie. i started to utter
and i’d already lied: the past tense is not the present.
the present is the past. words are not words. words
are words. to lie, why not? i set my lips
as if i’d say: attic. i didn’t say it, the lips were
betrayed: to lie, why not, to lie words,

string words in a lie. switch them. spit,
bluffing tenderness. words are not words.
bastard lips, oral cavity smoke, sediment
of chattering memory: words (to lie, why not?)
to turn from the tongue to the teeth, from the teeth to the gums,
then into the gyre: to lie, why not?

porgy & bess band

to lie, why not. after all words are
arbitrary; words that are not things,
words that are not words. to lie, why not
to put it in words. i rise and approach the table: i did not rise,
i did not approach the table. the switch on the radio
cannot pop out: if it is pressed, then it can.

words and words, to lie and not-lie. why shouldn’t i
lie? why shouldn’t i utter any word
that presently occupies me though i don’t consider it –
for utterance – quite decidedly i don’t consider. why:
to speak (i do not want to say) and speak but not to
speak. “speak” in all three cases is a lie.

to lie, why not lie. i started to utter
and i’d already lied: the past tense is not the present.
the present is the past. words are not words. words
are words. to lie, why not? i set my lips
as if i’d say: attic. i didn’t say it, the lips were
betrayed: to lie, why not, to lie words,

string words in a lie. switch them. spit,
bluffing tenderness. words are not words.
bastard lips, oral cavity smoke, sediment
of chattering memory: words (to lie, why not?)
to turn from the tongue to the teeth, from the teeth to the gums,
then into the gyre: to lie, why not?
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère