Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Thomas Kling

serner, karlsbad

where even in posted areas
the censors babbled.

tall granite masses.
smoky snow. I knew

nothing, seventy-two,
about edleweiss, ocher

houses of the emperors’ realm,
or an otherwise-remembrance:

“speak more clearly”
in karlovy vary.

. . . the (midday?) sun, weakened,
reflected by mirrors; where

the schnapps served in cut glass
and the talk bounced around

the shining marble. karlsbad sounds:
“o, speak more clearly” in smoky

snow, “every noun
a round trip ticket.”               SERNER

who left prague as well
headed for the gas.

serner, karlsbad

serner, karlsbad

wo in angesagter umgebun’
di zensur ihr sprudeln begann.

zentralgranitmassn.
geselchter schnee. nichts

wußte ich, zweiundsiebzig,
von einem haus edelweiß wo

mattkaiserschrunde oder ocker-
gestimmte, oder sonstwi-erinnerun’:

“sprich deutlicher”
in karlovy vary

. . . di (mittags?)sonne, geschwächt,
in spiegeln mitgeteilt wurd; wo

der becherovka in geschliffenen
gläsern und rede auf di marmor-

helligkeit knallte, karlsbad-sounds:
“o sprich deutlicher” in geselchtm

schnee, und “jedes hauptwort ein
rundreisebillet.”               SERNER

der ging von prag aus
gemeinsam ins gas.
Close

serner, karlsbad

where even in posted areas
the censors babbled.

tall granite masses.
smoky snow. I knew

nothing, seventy-two,
about edleweiss, ocher

houses of the emperors’ realm,
or an otherwise-remembrance:

“speak more clearly”
in karlovy vary.

. . . the (midday?) sun, weakened,
reflected by mirrors; where

the schnapps served in cut glass
and the talk bounced around

the shining marble. karlsbad sounds:
“o, speak more clearly” in smoky

snow, “every noun
a round trip ticket.”               SERNER

who left prague as well
headed for the gas.

serner, karlsbad

where even in posted areas
the censors babbled.

tall granite masses.
smoky snow. I knew

nothing, seventy-two,
about edleweiss, ocher

houses of the emperors’ realm,
or an otherwise-remembrance:

“speak more clearly”
in karlovy vary.

. . . the (midday?) sun, weakened,
reflected by mirrors; where

the schnapps served in cut glass
and the talk bounced around

the shining marble. karlsbad sounds:
“o, speak more clearly” in smoky

snow, “every noun
a round trip ticket.”               SERNER

who left prague as well
headed for the gas.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
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