Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Nachoem M. Wijnberg

Do you remember

Do you remember what you
wanted to remember long ago
better than, for instance, a hotel room?

Because you want to remember
where you can no longer go,
you start in a hotel.

Where is the bed
when you open the door to the bathroom
and do you see a bath?

You do not remember enough
to refurnish the room
and the rest of the hotel around it.

You are still home,
the place you want to be when you can’t remember anything else,
not in a hotel room
where it is dark outside,
almost nothing to see through the window,
but you still want to go out for a little walk,
because you don’t want to spend even that one night there,
but maybe it will be easier
afterwards.

Is it one of the hotels
that are like it is already long ago?

Your lord memory
is at the reception desk,
and yes, there is always a room free for you
even if you only arrive late at night,
but you have to take all your stuff to the next room yourself
if someone else arrives.

Herinner je

Herinner je

Herinner je je wat je
je lang geleden wilde herinneren
beter dan, bijvoorbeeld, een hotelkamer?

Omdat je je wil herinneren
waar je niet meer kan komen,
begin je in een hotel.

Waar is het bed
als je de deur naar de badkamer opent
en zie je dan een bad?

Je herinnert je niet genoeg
om de kamer opnieuw in te richten
en de rest van het hotel daaromheen.

Je bent nog steeds thuis,
de plaats waar je wil dat je bent als je je niets anders meer kan herinneren,
niet in een hotelkamer
waar het buiten donker is,
bijna niets te zien door het raam,
maar je wil toch nog even buiten lopen,
omdat je daar niet eens die nacht wil blijven,
maar misschien wordt het daarna
makkelijker.

Is het een van de hotels
die zijn alsof het al lang geleden is?

Je heer herinnering
staat achter de receptie,
en ja, er is altijd nog een kamer voor je
ook als je pas laat in de avond aankomt,
maar je moet zelf al je spullen naar de volgende kamer brengen
als nog een ander aankomt.
Close

Do you remember

Do you remember what you
wanted to remember long ago
better than, for instance, a hotel room?

Because you want to remember
where you can no longer go,
you start in a hotel.

Where is the bed
when you open the door to the bathroom
and do you see a bath?

You do not remember enough
to refurnish the room
and the rest of the hotel around it.

You are still home,
the place you want to be when you can’t remember anything else,
not in a hotel room
where it is dark outside,
almost nothing to see through the window,
but you still want to go out for a little walk,
because you don’t want to spend even that one night there,
but maybe it will be easier
afterwards.

Is it one of the hotels
that are like it is already long ago?

Your lord memory
is at the reception desk,
and yes, there is always a room free for you
even if you only arrive late at night,
but you have to take all your stuff to the next room yourself
if someone else arrives.

Do you remember

Do you remember what you
wanted to remember long ago
better than, for instance, a hotel room?

Because you want to remember
where you can no longer go,
you start in a hotel.

Where is the bed
when you open the door to the bathroom
and do you see a bath?

You do not remember enough
to refurnish the room
and the rest of the hotel around it.

You are still home,
the place you want to be when you can’t remember anything else,
not in a hotel room
where it is dark outside,
almost nothing to see through the window,
but you still want to go out for a little walk,
because you don’t want to spend even that one night there,
but maybe it will be easier
afterwards.

Is it one of the hotels
that are like it is already long ago?

Your lord memory
is at the reception desk,
and yes, there is always a room free for you
even if you only arrive late at night,
but you have to take all your stuff to the next room yourself
if someone else arrives.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère