Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Marion Poschmann

BLACK VARNISH

That park enclosed in resin.
Soap bubbles and sludge in the lungs. Sepia air
around enclosures, memory, moon bear, dancing bear.
Rocks and cage. “Mischa,” the children call. – Did
someone say “Petz”? “Teddy”? – Bears are plantigrades,
like us.

Good works of the bears. Small children
led by the hoods of their coats. Ladies with parasols
exploring their shadow existences. Paths full of pine cones and spiders,
winged seeds. Amber, bijou indiscret, meaning:
telling people more truth than they can bear.
We are inclusions.

The iconostasis opens, three bears
appear. Blind compression. Mica grounding. We are surrounded
by amber trees and amber houses, footballs, owls.
While black bears draw spears of light into the park,
white, darkness varnished into bone,
light.

ZWART VERNIS

Dat door hars ingesloten park.
Zeepbellen en molm in de longen. Sepialucht
om het omheinde terrein, herinnering. Kraagbeer, dansbeer.
Rotsen en kooi. ‘Misja’, roepen de kinderen. – Heeft
iemand ‘Petz’ gezegd? ‘Teddy’? – Beren zijn zoolgangers,
zoals wij.

Goede werken van de beer. Kleine kinderen,
bij hun capuchon voortgeduwd. Dames met parasols
verkennen hun schaduwbestaan. Paden vol dennenappels en spinnen,
gevleugelde zaden. Barnsteen, bijou indiscret, betekent:
de mensen meer waarheden vertellen dan ze aankunnen.
Wij zijn insluitsels.

De iconostase gaat open, er verschijnen
drie beren. Blinddruk, micagrond. Wij zijn omringd
door barnsteenbomen en -huizen, -voetballen, -uilen.
Terwijl zwarte beren snippers van licht in het park trekken,
witte, tot knoken gestolde duisternis,
licht.

SCHWARZFIRNIS

Jener von Harz umschlossene Park.
Seifenblasen und Mulm in der Lunge. Sepialuft
um Gehege, Erinnerung. Kragenbär, Tanzbär.
Felsen und Zwinger. „Mischa“, rufen die Kinder. – Hat
jemand „Petz“ gesagt? „Teddy“? – Bären sind Sohlengänger,
wie wir.

Gute Werke des Bären. Kleinkinder,
an der Kapuze geführt. Damen mit Sonnenschirmen
erkunden ihr Schattendasein. Wege voll Zapfen und Spinnen,
geflügelten Samen. Bernstein, bijou indiscret, heißt:
den Leuten mehr Wahrheiten sagen, als sie vertragen.
Wir sind Inklusen.

Die Ikonostase öffnet sich, es erscheinen
drei Bären. Blindpressung, Glimmergrund. Wir sind umgeben
von Bernsteinbäumen und -häusern, -fußbällen, -eulen.
Während Schwarzbären Zipfel von Licht in den Park ziehen,
weiße, zu Knochen geronnene Finsternis,
Licht.
Close

BLACK VARNISH

That park enclosed in resin.
Soap bubbles and sludge in the lungs. Sepia air
around enclosures, memory, moon bear, dancing bear.
Rocks and cage. “Mischa,” the children call. – Did
someone say “Petz”? “Teddy”? – Bears are plantigrades,
like us.

Good works of the bears. Small children
led by the hoods of their coats. Ladies with parasols
exploring their shadow existences. Paths full of pine cones and spiders,
winged seeds. Amber, bijou indiscret, meaning:
telling people more truth than they can bear.
We are inclusions.

The iconostasis opens, three bears
appear. Blind compression. Mica grounding. We are surrounded
by amber trees and amber houses, footballs, owls.
While black bears draw spears of light into the park,
white, darkness varnished into bone,
light.

BLACK VARNISH

That park enclosed in resin.
Soap bubbles and sludge in the lungs. Sepia air
around enclosures, memory, moon bear, dancing bear.
Rocks and cage. “Mischa,” the children call. – Did
someone say “Petz”? “Teddy”? – Bears are plantigrades,
like us.

Good works of the bears. Small children
led by the hoods of their coats. Ladies with parasols
exploring their shadow existences. Paths full of pine cones and spiders,
winged seeds. Amber, bijou indiscret, meaning:
telling people more truth than they can bear.
We are inclusions.

The iconostasis opens, three bears
appear. Blind compression. Mica grounding. We are surrounded
by amber trees and amber houses, footballs, owls.
While black bears draw spears of light into the park,
white, darkness varnished into bone,
light.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère