Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Dan Coman

Chicco

i wake up every morning before five
and like this, unwashed without tobacco
like this, in the dark and cold
i get out of bed on all fours
feeling for it.
before five he’s no more than a glass bead
when I touch him whoosh
leaping to some other part of the room.
i pick him up quickly, using only two fingers
roll him only on the carpet
lest he make noise and
wake the girls.
so it’s this way at five on all fours with this sun
this sun in the room rolled for hours on end
until like a snowball it grows quite large
until it begins to brighten begins to warm
though it’s only after growing so large
brighter and warmer
it’s only then that the sweat pours out
the chicco sun sweating likes a grown man
and at eight when the girls wake up
they must open the window
needing nearly an hour to air out the room.

Chicco

Chicco

în fiecare dimineaţă mă trezesc înainte de cinci
şi aşa, pe nespălate şi fără tutun
aşa, pe întuneric şi frig
mă dau jos din pat şi-n patru labe
pipăi după el.
înainte de cinci nu e mai mare decît o mărgea
şi cînd îl ating el ţuşti
saltă pînă-n cealaltă parte a camerei.
îl prind însă repede şi-l prind numai cu două degete
şi nu-l rostogolesc decît pe covor
căci altfel face zgomot şi e-n stare
să le trezească pe fete.
astfel de la cinci în patru labe cu soarele acesta
şi soarele acesta de cameră ore în şir trebuie rostogolit
pînă ce ca un bulgăre de zăpadă se face mare-mare
şi începe să lumineze şi începe să încălzească
deşi tocmai cînd creşte mare-mare şi
luminează şi încălzeşte
tocmai atunci începe să transpire din greu
şi soarele chicco transpiră ca un om mare
şi pe la opt cînd se trezesc fetele
trebuie deschis geamul
şi aproape o oră trebuie aerisit în dormitor
Close

Chicco

i wake up every morning before five
and like this, unwashed without tobacco
like this, in the dark and cold
i get out of bed on all fours
feeling for it.
before five he’s no more than a glass bead
when I touch him whoosh
leaping to some other part of the room.
i pick him up quickly, using only two fingers
roll him only on the carpet
lest he make noise and
wake the girls.
so it’s this way at five on all fours with this sun
this sun in the room rolled for hours on end
until like a snowball it grows quite large
until it begins to brighten begins to warm
though it’s only after growing so large
brighter and warmer
it’s only then that the sweat pours out
the chicco sun sweating likes a grown man
and at eight when the girls wake up
they must open the window
needing nearly an hour to air out the room.

Chicco

i wake up every morning before five
and like this, unwashed without tobacco
like this, in the dark and cold
i get out of bed on all fours
feeling for it.
before five he’s no more than a glass bead
when I touch him whoosh
leaping to some other part of the room.
i pick him up quickly, using only two fingers
roll him only on the carpet
lest he make noise and
wake the girls.
so it’s this way at five on all fours with this sun
this sun in the room rolled for hours on end
until like a snowball it grows quite large
until it begins to brighten begins to warm
though it’s only after growing so large
brighter and warmer
it’s only then that the sweat pours out
the chicco sun sweating likes a grown man
and at eight when the girls wake up
they must open the window
needing nearly an hour to air out the room.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère