Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Hagit Grossman

PERMANENCE


There was always a poem at the end of the notebook
that put him back in his place
but in order to write it
he had to forget his name
the look of his face in the mirror
everything that sealed his fate he abandoned
like a pillow shed of its feathers
through his window he jumped toward the poem
and ambushed himself under cover of the night
that appears when it’s day
and became a winged cat
a sharp-toothed owl
and slashed his belly to give birth to his words
only because it was free
and he had no money.
 

קביעוּת

קביעוּת

 

תָּמִיד הָיָה שִׁיר בְּסוֹף הַמַּחְבֶּרֶת
שֶׁהֵשִׁיב אוֹתוֹ אֶל מְקוֹמוֹ
אַךְ כְּדֵי לִכְתֹּב אוֹתוֹ
הָיָה עָלָיו לִשְׁכֹּחַ אֶת שְׁמוֹ
אֶת מַרְאֵה פָּנָיו בָּרְאִי
אֶת כָּל הֶחָתוּם עַל גּוֹרָלוֹ עָזַב
כְּכָרִית שֶׁהִשִּׁילָה נוֹצוֹתֶיהָ
מִבַּעַד לְחַלּוֹנוֹ קָפַץ אֶל הַשִּׁיר           
וְאָרַב לְעַצְמוֹ בַּחֲשָׁאֵי הַלַּיְלָה
הַמּוֹפִיעַ לְעֵת יוֹם
וְהָיָה לְחָתוּל מְכֻנָּף
יַנְשׁוּף בַּעַל שִׁנַּיִם מֻשְׁחָזוֹת
וְרִטֵּשׁ אֶת בִּטְנוֹ לָלֶדֶת מִלּוֹתָיו
רַק בִּגְלַל שֶׁזֶּה הָיָה בְּחִנָּם
וְלֹא הָיָה לוֹ כֶּסֶף.
 
 
 
Close

PERMANENCE


There was always a poem at the end of the notebook
that put him back in his place
but in order to write it
he had to forget his name
the look of his face in the mirror
everything that sealed his fate he abandoned
like a pillow shed of its feathers
through his window he jumped toward the poem
and ambushed himself under cover of the night
that appears when it’s day
and became a winged cat
a sharp-toothed owl
and slashed his belly to give birth to his words
only because it was free
and he had no money.
 

PERMANENCE


There was always a poem at the end of the notebook
that put him back in his place
but in order to write it
he had to forget his name
the look of his face in the mirror
everything that sealed his fate he abandoned
like a pillow shed of its feathers
through his window he jumped toward the poem
and ambushed himself under cover of the night
that appears when it’s day
and became a winged cat
a sharp-toothed owl
and slashed his belly to give birth to his words
only because it was free
and he had no money.
 
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère