Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Martin Reints

Townscape

Just a moment and the man walking there
on the other side, you can see he has just phoned

by the way he looks around

while he’s already been hanging around in the vicinity for some time

just a moment look there’s the bus
just a moment and that man is off to another vicinity

and if you wait just a moment the whole vicinity has gone:
the shelter with the large posters,

the rows of houses with the doorways and
the bay windows with the plants and their pots,

the rain, no the snow, no the rain.

Stadsgezicht

Stadsgezicht

Nog even en de man die daar loopt
aan de overkant, je kunt zien dat hij net heeft getelefoneerd

door hoe hij om zich heen kijkt

terwijl hij al lang in deze omgeving rondhangt

nog even kijk daar heb je de bus
nog even en die man is onderweg naar een andere omgeving

en als je nog even wacht is de hele omgeving weg:
het wachthokje met de grote aanplakbiljetten,

het huizenblok met de portieken en
de erkers met de planten in hun potten,

de regen, nee de sneeuw, nee de regen.
Close

Townscape

Just a moment and the man walking there
on the other side, you can see he has just phoned

by the way he looks around

while he’s already been hanging around in the vicinity for some time

just a moment look there’s the bus
just a moment and that man is off to another vicinity

and if you wait just a moment the whole vicinity has gone:
the shelter with the large posters,

the rows of houses with the doorways and
the bay windows with the plants and their pots,

the rain, no the snow, no the rain.

Townscape

Just a moment and the man walking there
on the other side, you can see he has just phoned

by the way he looks around

while he’s already been hanging around in the vicinity for some time

just a moment look there’s the bus
just a moment and that man is off to another vicinity

and if you wait just a moment the whole vicinity has gone:
the shelter with the large posters,

the rows of houses with the doorways and
the bay windows with the plants and their pots,

the rain, no the snow, no the rain.
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