Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Laura Accerboni

I thought

I thought
it was not right
for fish
to inhabit bodies
to decompose them
more rapidly
when man
drops them to the bottom
maybe stuck in cement
the feet
and ropes
and a bag
around the head
so they will not be found.
One should not do this
to a fish:
force it
to swim between veins
and oblige it to learn
the pulmonary geography
of other species.

Ik vond het

Ik vond het
onbetamelijk
voor vissen
in lichamen te wonen
om die sneller
af te breken
wanneer mensen
om ontdekking te voorkomen
ze naar de bodem laten zinken
misschien met beide voeten
in beton
en touwen
en een zak
over hun hoofd.
Dat zou een mens een vis
niet mogen aandoen:
hem dwingen
tussen aderen te zwemmen
en hem verplichten het longlandschap
te leren kennen
van een andere diersoort.

Ho pensato
non fosse giusto
per i pesci
abitare corpi
per smaltirli
più in fretta
quando l’uomo
li rilascia sul fondo
per non farsi trovare
magari uniti al cemento
i piedi
e corde
e un sacchetto
sulla testa.
Questo a un pesce
non si dovrebbe fare:
costringerlo
a nuotare tra le vene
e obbligarlo a imparare
la geografia polmonare
di altre specie.
Close

I thought

I thought
it was not right
for fish
to inhabit bodies
to decompose them
more rapidly
when man
drops them to the bottom
maybe stuck in cement
the feet
and ropes
and a bag
around the head
so they will not be found.
One should not do this
to a fish:
force it
to swim between veins
and oblige it to learn
the pulmonary geography
of other species.

I thought

I thought
it was not right
for fish
to inhabit bodies
to decompose them
more rapidly
when man
drops them to the bottom
maybe stuck in cement
the feet
and ropes
and a bag
around the head
so they will not be found.
One should not do this
to a fish:
force it
to swim between veins
and oblige it to learn
the pulmonary geography
of other species.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère