Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jan Baeke

WORKING AT LOVE

It’s a lot of work, it tends to be too much work
love, said our advisers, was warm and full of folds.
We could picture this.

It was warm when love was opportune.
There’d been a lot of reaping and tying of sheaves. It turned out
that what fills the world and erodes it could be found nearby.
About time that we did something in return.

That we could learn how current love is? my friends asked.
That’s often possible, I suggested, but we can’t do that.
It’s a personal love, with its own tunnel.

God, when he’s on duty, prefers to stand here, near this tunnel
having a smoke and happy he’s not in his office.
With his large, lanky body he’s always self-conscious
afraid he’ll attract attention, worried that people might think
he’s afraid of attracting attention.

It’s work that keeps recurring, he says, and my friends
are impressed because it’s God who’s saying this
and because, in the photograph, he’s the only one in focus.

WERK AAN DE LIEFDE

WERK AAN DE LIEFDE

Het is veel werk, het is al snel teveel werk
de liefde, zo zeiden onze adviseurs, was warm en geplooid.
We konden ons dit voorstellen.

Het was warm toen de liefde van pas kwam.
Er was die dag veel gemaaid en opgebonden. Wat de wereld
vult en uitholt bleek ook in de buurt te vinden.
Het werd tijd dat we daar wat tegenover stelden.

Dat we er de geldigheid van leren?, vroegen mijn vrienden.
Dat kan vaak, suggereerde ik, maar wij kunnen dat niet.
Het is een persoonlijke liefde met een eigen tunnel.

God, als hij dienst heeft staat liever hier, bij die tunnel
rokend en blij dat hij niet op kantoor zit
maar met zijn grote slungelige lichaam altijd verlegen
bang dat hij opvalt, bang dat ze kunnen denken
dat hij bang is op te vallen.

Het is werk dat altijd terugkomt, zegt hij en mijn vrienden zijn
onder de indruk omdat het God is die dit zegt
en omdat hij haarscherp op de foto staat, als enige.
Close

WORKING AT LOVE

It’s a lot of work, it tends to be too much work
love, said our advisers, was warm and full of folds.
We could picture this.

It was warm when love was opportune.
There’d been a lot of reaping and tying of sheaves. It turned out
that what fills the world and erodes it could be found nearby.
About time that we did something in return.

That we could learn how current love is? my friends asked.
That’s often possible, I suggested, but we can’t do that.
It’s a personal love, with its own tunnel.

God, when he’s on duty, prefers to stand here, near this tunnel
having a smoke and happy he’s not in his office.
With his large, lanky body he’s always self-conscious
afraid he’ll attract attention, worried that people might think
he’s afraid of attracting attention.

It’s work that keeps recurring, he says, and my friends
are impressed because it’s God who’s saying this
and because, in the photograph, he’s the only one in focus.

WORKING AT LOVE

It’s a lot of work, it tends to be too much work
love, said our advisers, was warm and full of folds.
We could picture this.

It was warm when love was opportune.
There’d been a lot of reaping and tying of sheaves. It turned out
that what fills the world and erodes it could be found nearby.
About time that we did something in return.

That we could learn how current love is? my friends asked.
That’s often possible, I suggested, but we can’t do that.
It’s a personal love, with its own tunnel.

God, when he’s on duty, prefers to stand here, near this tunnel
having a smoke and happy he’s not in his office.
With his large, lanky body he’s always self-conscious
afraid he’ll attract attention, worried that people might think
he’s afraid of attracting attention.

It’s work that keeps recurring, he says, and my friends
are impressed because it’s God who’s saying this
and because, in the photograph, he’s the only one in focus.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
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