Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

K. Schippers

WEIGHT

Once I thought a sheet
of paper weighed more after
you had drawn a line on it.
 
Now I am not sure whether I should
burden your route with the lightest
truth by telling you that it
 
smells of geography here
and that the park was laid out only
so that sometime in the future
 
you could see it. Too heavy?
Then forget geography.
Without you the light
 
the space, the buildings
would have worked in vain,
so sparse, so weightless
 
they are now that in their
vicinity the end of the park
should be within your reach.

Gewicht

Gewicht

Eens dacht ik dat een vel
papier meer weegt als je
er een streep op hebt gezet.

Nu weet ik niet of ik je route
met de lichtste waarheid mag
verzwaren als ik zeg dat het

hier naar aardrijkskunde ruikt
en dat het park alleen is
aangelegd zodat jij het ooit

zou kunnen zien. Te zwaar?
Vergeet de aardrijkskunde.
Zonder jou zouden het licht,

de ruimte en de gebouwen
voor niets hebben gewerkt,
zo dun, zo gewichtloos

zijn ze nu dat je in hun
nabijheid het eind van het
park moet kunnen halen.
Close

WEIGHT

Once I thought a sheet
of paper weighed more after
you had drawn a line on it.
 
Now I am not sure whether I should
burden your route with the lightest
truth by telling you that it
 
smells of geography here
and that the park was laid out only
so that sometime in the future
 
you could see it. Too heavy?
Then forget geography.
Without you the light
 
the space, the buildings
would have worked in vain,
so sparse, so weightless
 
they are now that in their
vicinity the end of the park
should be within your reach.

WEIGHT

Once I thought a sheet
of paper weighed more after
you had drawn a line on it.
 
Now I am not sure whether I should
burden your route with the lightest
truth by telling you that it
 
smells of geography here
and that the park was laid out only
so that sometime in the future
 
you could see it. Too heavy?
Then forget geography.
Without you the light
 
the space, the buildings
would have worked in vain,
so sparse, so weightless
 
they are now that in their
vicinity the end of the park
should be within your reach.
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