Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Véronique Pittolo

If you look at mothers

If you look at mothers, you can see that queens are not as beautiful as their daughters. Pony-tails engender children who clear dirty dishes from the table. The debt of little girls is clear, clean, indisputable, the gross amount is income for the boys.
 
Sacrifice, the gift of oneself, unselfishness, overstep the mark: ironing, cooking, supermarket or small shops. It’s possible to prefer division to connection, a side parting to a falling fringe.

Als u moeders observeert

Als u moeders observeert, ziet u dat koninginnen minder mooi zijn dan hun dochters. Paardenstaarten verwekken kinderen die de tafel afruimen. De schuld van de kleine meisjes is helder, duidelijk, smetteloos, het ruwe saldo komt de jongens toe.
 
De offervaardigheid, toewijding en zelfverloochening gaan de perken te buiten: strijken, koken, supermarkt of kleinhandelaars. Je mag de voorkeur geven aan verdeeldheid boven eenheid, aan een zijdelingse scheiding boven los vallende lokken.

En observant les mères, vous voyez que les reines sont moins belles que leurs filles. Les queues de cheval engendrent des enfants qui débarrassent la table. La dette des petites filles est claire, nette, impeccable, le montant brut revient aux garçons.
 
Le sacrifice, le don de soi, l’abnégation, dépassent les limites : repassage, cuisine, supermarché ou petits détaillants. On peut préférer la division à l’union, la raie sur le côté aux mèches qui tombent. 
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If you look at mothers

If you look at mothers, you can see that queens are not as beautiful as their daughters. Pony-tails engender children who clear dirty dishes from the table. The debt of little girls is clear, clean, indisputable, the gross amount is income for the boys.
 
Sacrifice, the gift of oneself, unselfishness, overstep the mark: ironing, cooking, supermarket or small shops. It’s possible to prefer division to connection, a side parting to a falling fringe.

If you look at mothers

If you look at mothers, you can see that queens are not as beautiful as their daughters. Pony-tails engender children who clear dirty dishes from the table. The debt of little girls is clear, clean, indisputable, the gross amount is income for the boys.
 
Sacrifice, the gift of oneself, unselfishness, overstep the mark: ironing, cooking, supermarket or small shops. It’s possible to prefer division to connection, a side parting to a falling fringe.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
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