Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ulrike Draesner

‘do you know how to lead a life?’

do you know how to lead a life?
does it have a nose-ring then, some ox
who lets you tweak its tail and trots
along with flies short hair and soft
its swimming eye? there, silver-salver
served and grey a lemon ring so
poignantly peeled it touches you because 
you sense in it the tree and something like
a sun-field, an oral y – the tug as palate cells
contract. by the nose then or some book
in leather: ox? or maybe lemon marinade
they put in the lot where you think, where
pictures mix languages: lall. now take the fall it’s
painted all painted on as one (the two
is you) you take a tram (or change). there
just look how suddenly or
even crackingly you
play it 

‘do you know how to lead a life?’

weet jij dan hoe je een leven leidt?
heeft het die neusring, nou? is het de os die
sjokt en die zich in zijn staart heeft laten
knijpen met al die vliegen erop zijn korte
vacht en zachte oog dat zo zwemt?
daar grijs op zilveren dienblad het citroenraadje
dat zo mooi geschild je ontroert omdat je
daarin nu de boom proeft zoiets als zonneveld als
ypsilon nu in je mond het samentrekken der cellen –
in je mond, toch bij de neus genomen of met een boek
van leer, os. misschien zelfs, citroenjus, ze
maakten alles in daar waar je denkt waar beelden
talen mengen, loll, neem nu de val het
is geschilderd is alles schilderwerk als één (de twee ben
jij) die in de tram zit (overstapt). en hé
kijk nu eens hoe jullie plotseling
of toch ook plotsklaps
spelen

weißt du denn wie man ein leben führt?
hat es den nasenring, ja? ist der ochs der
trabt und hat den schwanz sich kneifen
lassen mit den fliegen drauf dem kurzen
fell und weichem auge das so schwimmt?
da, grau auf silbertablett der zitronenring
das schön geschälte das dich rührt weil du
den baum darin so was wie sonnenfeld wie
ypsilon im mund der zellen zug nun spürst –
im mund. an der nase doch geführt oder mit einem buch
aus leder, ochs. gar vielleicht, zitronensud, sie legten
alles ein dort wo du denkst wo bilder
sprachen mischen, loll. nun nimm den sturz es
ist gemalt ist alles aufgemalt als eins (die zwei bist
du) fährst straßenbahn (steigst um). da
schau nur wie ihr plötzlich
oder doch auch platzend
spielt 
Close

‘do you know how to lead a life?’

do you know how to lead a life?
does it have a nose-ring then, some ox
who lets you tweak its tail and trots
along with flies short hair and soft
its swimming eye? there, silver-salver
served and grey a lemon ring so
poignantly peeled it touches you because 
you sense in it the tree and something like
a sun-field, an oral y – the tug as palate cells
contract. by the nose then or some book
in leather: ox? or maybe lemon marinade
they put in the lot where you think, where
pictures mix languages: lall. now take the fall it’s
painted all painted on as one (the two
is you) you take a tram (or change). there
just look how suddenly or
even crackingly you
play it 

‘do you know how to lead a life?’

do you know how to lead a life?
does it have a nose-ring then, some ox
who lets you tweak its tail and trots
along with flies short hair and soft
its swimming eye? there, silver-salver
served and grey a lemon ring so
poignantly peeled it touches you because 
you sense in it the tree and something like
a sun-field, an oral y – the tug as palate cells
contract. by the nose then or some book
in leather: ox? or maybe lemon marinade
they put in the lot where you think, where
pictures mix languages: lall. now take the fall it’s
painted all painted on as one (the two
is you) you take a tram (or change). there
just look how suddenly or
even crackingly you
play it 
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère