Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Nils Chr. Moe-Repstad

POISONING 2

A trace of water runs over the window
like a repetition of how
the world is reborn through religion

it brings to mind birds

they fly white, settle in the creeping vines
that cover the garden-facing side of the concrete house
and could never have been found in a novel

‘in poetry birds are white and make the world
in a waving movement’

lilacs, blooming fields, the breeze
the song is not the same in winter
when white sheets dry in the sun and birds turn green

as the olive branch that stopped
Noah’s drinking

the seventeenth day of the seventh month
the arc came to rest upon the Ararat mountains


the world is new, Noah is new
and doesn’t think about the fevers, the cramps
the nausea that comes with sudden withdrawal

‘in prose birds are green and make the world
when wine flows’

when the waters recede
Noah’s fever reaches 102
and because he’s been drunk
and lived so closely with the animals
there’s been a mutation:

Noah is a virus
3-5 days and all of the humans in the arc
have a temperature of 102

and the ambient temperature has risen 4 degrees

2014: an archeological expedition
does geophysical research in the Ararat mountains
and discovers an outline of a boat-shape in the bed
of the old testament’s third river Hiddekel

‘we think we’ve found the arc and several related artifacts
among them, numbers of amphorae that once contained wine’

10-12 days later the archeologists’
temperatures rise
15-20 days and the air temperature
over the Ararat plain rises

in a partially sealed amphora
they find living spores and viruses

and the biologists and the virologists say: ‘nature and
the human body are now an extracellular phenomenon’

it is the lysogenic cycle

the trace of water over my window
might be Strandgaten’s largest waterfall

the creeping plants will spread
whole facades disappear

the water is absorbed in microscopic bubbles of air
in concrete and blows up houses from the inside

like a patient implosion

philosophers, shamans, mathematicians, virologists
theologists, geologists, astronomers, physicists
ethnologists, archeologists, engineers, physicians
ecologists, meteorologists, and technologists:

‘the world is an other world
the body an other body’

the day goes slowly toward darkness, but
lights are shining from bedrooms into the backyard
people are slack with fever
but aware of their former ignorance of nature

still the seasons change
the white birds, the green birds

the human body’s fever is constant

2e VERGIFTIGING

Een streepje water loopt over het raam
als een herhaling van hoe
de wereld nieuw wordt in de religies

het doet aan vogels denken

ze vliegen wit, gaan in slingerplanten zitten
die de tuinkant van de betonnen huizen bedekken
en zouden nooit in een roman voor kunnen komen

‘in de poëzie zijn de vogels wit en scheppen de wereld
in een golvende beweging’

de seringen, de bloemenwei, het briesje
het gezang dat ’s winters anders klinkt
als witte lakens drogen in de zon en de vogels groen worden

als de olijftak waardoor Noach
stopte met drinken

en de ark bleef in de zevende maand, op de zeventiende dag van de maand,
vastzitten op het gebergte van Ararat


de wereld is nieuw, Noach is nieuw
en denkt niet aan de koortsaanvallen, de krampen
de misselijkheid die bij abrupte ontwenning horen

‘in het proza zijn de vogels groen en scheppen de wereld
als er wijn vloeit’

als het waterpeil daalt
heeft Noach 39 graden koorts
en omdat hij steeds dronken was
en zo dicht op de dieren heeft geleefd
is er een mutatie opgetreden:

Noach is een virus
3-5 dagen en alle mensen in de ark
hebben een lichaamstemperatuur van 39 graden

ook de temperatuur van de lucht stijgt met twee graden

2014: een archeologische expeditie
doet geofysisch onderzoek in het Araratgebergte
en scant een omtrek: een bootachtige vorm in de bedding
van de derde oudtestamentische rivier de Hiddekel

‘we denken dat we de ark en verschillende relevante voorwerpen hebben gevonden
o.a. vele amfora’s waar ooit wijn in heeft gezeten’

10-12 dagen later begint
de lichaamstemperatuur van de archeologen te stijgen
15-20 dagen en de temperatuur van de lucht
op de Araratvlakte stijgt

in een deels verzegelde amfora
worden levende sporen en virussen gevonden

en de biologen en virologen zeggen: ‘de natuur en
het menselijk lichaam zijn nu een extracellulair fenomeen’

dat is de lysogene cyclus van het virus

het streepje water over mijn raam
kan de grootste waterval van de Strandgate worden

de slingerplanten zullen zich verspreiden
hele façaden zullen verdwijnen

het water trekt in microscopische luchtbelletjes
in het beton en blaast de huizen van binnenuit op

als een geduldige implosie

filosofen, waarzeggers, wiskundigen, virologen
theologen, geologen, astronomen, natuurkundigen
etnologen, archeologen, ingenieurs, artsen
ecologen, weerprofeten en technologen:

‘de wereld is een andere wereld
het lichaam is een ander lichaam’

de dag verduistert langzaam, maar
er valt licht uit slaapkamers in de achtertuinen
mensen zijn sloom van de koorts
maar zich bewust van eerdere onbewustheid over natuur

nog steeds wisselen de seizoenen
de witte vogels, de groene vogels

de koortstoestand in het mensenlichaam is constant

2. FORGIFTNING

En linje vann renner over vinduet
som en gjentagelse av hvordan
verden blir ny i religionene

det minner om fugler

de flyr hvite, setter seg i slyngplantene
som dekker hagesiden av betonghusene
og kunne aldri ha funnes i en roman

«i poesien er fuglene hvite og skaper verden
i en bølgende bevegelse»

syrinene, blomsterengen, brisen
sangen er ikke den samme om vinteren
når hvite laken tørker i sola og fuglene blir grønne

som olivenkvisten som fikk Noah
til å slutte å drikke

den syttende dagen i den syvende måneden
ble arken stående på Ararat-fjellene


verden er ny, Noah er ny
og tenker ikke på febertoktene, krampene
kvalmen som kommer med bråavvenning

«i prosaen er fuglene grønne og skaper verden
når vinen flyter»

når vannstanden synker
har Noah 39 i feber
og siden han har gått på fylla
og levd så tett på dyra
er det utviklet en mutasjon:

Noah er et virus
3–5 dager og alle menneskene i arken
har 39 i kroppstemperatur

også lufttemperaturen stiger to grader

2014: en arkeologisk ekspedisjon
gjør geofysiske undersøkelser i Ararat-fjellene
og avleser et omriss: en båtlignende form i leiet
etter den tredje gammeltestamentlige elva Hiddekel

«vi mener vi har funnet arken og flere relevante gjenstander
bl.a. mengder av amforaer som en gang inneholdt vin»

10–12 dager senere begynner
arkeologenes kroppstemperatur å stige
15–20 dager og lufttemperaturen
på Ararat-sletten øker

i en delvis forseglet amfora
blir det funnet levende sporer og virus

og biologene og virologene sier: «naturen og
menneskekroppen er nå et ekstracellulært fenomen»

det er virusets lysogene syklus

stripen av vann over vinduet mitt
kan bli Strandgatens største fossefall

slyngplantene vil bre seg
hele fasader forsvinne

vannet trekker inn i mikroskopiske luftbobler
i betongen og sprenger husene innenfra

som en tålmodig implosjon

filosofer, spåmenn, matematikere, virologer
teologer, geologer, astronomer, fysikere
etnologer, arkeologer, ingeniører, medisinere
økologer, værprofeter og teknologer:

«verden er en annen verden
kroppen en annen kropp»

dagen går sakte i mørkt, men
det lyser fra soverom ut i bakhagene
menneskene er sløve av feber
men bevisst tidligere ubevissthet om natur

ennå skifter årstidene
de hvite fuglene, de grønne fuglene

menneskekroppens febertilstand er konstant
Close

POISONING 2

A trace of water runs over the window
like a repetition of how
the world is reborn through religion

it brings to mind birds

they fly white, settle in the creeping vines
that cover the garden-facing side of the concrete house
and could never have been found in a novel

‘in poetry birds are white and make the world
in a waving movement’

lilacs, blooming fields, the breeze
the song is not the same in winter
when white sheets dry in the sun and birds turn green

as the olive branch that stopped
Noah’s drinking

the seventeenth day of the seventh month
the arc came to rest upon the Ararat mountains


the world is new, Noah is new
and doesn’t think about the fevers, the cramps
the nausea that comes with sudden withdrawal

‘in prose birds are green and make the world
when wine flows’

when the waters recede
Noah’s fever reaches 102
and because he’s been drunk
and lived so closely with the animals
there’s been a mutation:

Noah is a virus
3-5 days and all of the humans in the arc
have a temperature of 102

and the ambient temperature has risen 4 degrees

2014: an archeological expedition
does geophysical research in the Ararat mountains
and discovers an outline of a boat-shape in the bed
of the old testament’s third river Hiddekel

‘we think we’ve found the arc and several related artifacts
among them, numbers of amphorae that once contained wine’

10-12 days later the archeologists’
temperatures rise
15-20 days and the air temperature
over the Ararat plain rises

in a partially sealed amphora
they find living spores and viruses

and the biologists and the virologists say: ‘nature and
the human body are now an extracellular phenomenon’

it is the lysogenic cycle

the trace of water over my window
might be Strandgaten’s largest waterfall

the creeping plants will spread
whole facades disappear

the water is absorbed in microscopic bubbles of air
in concrete and blows up houses from the inside

like a patient implosion

philosophers, shamans, mathematicians, virologists
theologists, geologists, astronomers, physicists
ethnologists, archeologists, engineers, physicians
ecologists, meteorologists, and technologists:

‘the world is an other world
the body an other body’

the day goes slowly toward darkness, but
lights are shining from bedrooms into the backyard
people are slack with fever
but aware of their former ignorance of nature

still the seasons change
the white birds, the green birds

the human body’s fever is constant

POISONING 2

A trace of water runs over the window
like a repetition of how
the world is reborn through religion

it brings to mind birds

they fly white, settle in the creeping vines
that cover the garden-facing side of the concrete house
and could never have been found in a novel

‘in poetry birds are white and make the world
in a waving movement’

lilacs, blooming fields, the breeze
the song is not the same in winter
when white sheets dry in the sun and birds turn green

as the olive branch that stopped
Noah’s drinking

the seventeenth day of the seventh month
the arc came to rest upon the Ararat mountains


the world is new, Noah is new
and doesn’t think about the fevers, the cramps
the nausea that comes with sudden withdrawal

‘in prose birds are green and make the world
when wine flows’

when the waters recede
Noah’s fever reaches 102
and because he’s been drunk
and lived so closely with the animals
there’s been a mutation:

Noah is a virus
3-5 days and all of the humans in the arc
have a temperature of 102

and the ambient temperature has risen 4 degrees

2014: an archeological expedition
does geophysical research in the Ararat mountains
and discovers an outline of a boat-shape in the bed
of the old testament’s third river Hiddekel

‘we think we’ve found the arc and several related artifacts
among them, numbers of amphorae that once contained wine’

10-12 days later the archeologists’
temperatures rise
15-20 days and the air temperature
over the Ararat plain rises

in a partially sealed amphora
they find living spores and viruses

and the biologists and the virologists say: ‘nature and
the human body are now an extracellular phenomenon’

it is the lysogenic cycle

the trace of water over my window
might be Strandgaten’s largest waterfall

the creeping plants will spread
whole facades disappear

the water is absorbed in microscopic bubbles of air
in concrete and blows up houses from the inside

like a patient implosion

philosophers, shamans, mathematicians, virologists
theologists, geologists, astronomers, physicists
ethnologists, archeologists, engineers, physicians
ecologists, meteorologists, and technologists:

‘the world is an other world
the body an other body’

the day goes slowly toward darkness, but
lights are shining from bedrooms into the backyard
people are slack with fever
but aware of their former ignorance of nature

still the seasons change
the white birds, the green birds

the human body’s fever is constant
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