Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Alexis de Roode

Leave-taking

Today I broke up
with my immediate superior.
I asked him to sit down a moment,
took a deep breath,
and pulled the pin from the hand grenade.
First, I saw astonishment on his face and then,
to my surprise, genuine pain.
I saw splinters in his eyes.
I saw how he had lost his whole department
in the space of a month.

Once, after breaking up with someone in a room
that turned into a grave,
I made the decision:
I will never end a relationship again.
And now I saw I had done it all the same.

I saw how he stayed behind alone.
Alone with the photocopier.
The pain, the genuine pain
in the eyes of my immediate superior.

I also realized that being a superior
is an underrated form of love.

Afscheid

Afscheid

Vandaag heb ik het uitgemaakt
met mijn direct leidinggevende.
Ik vroeg hem om even te gaan zitten,
ademde in,
en trok de pin uit de handgranaat.
Ik zag eerst verbazing op zijn gezicht en toen,
tot mijn verrassing, authentieke pijn.
Ik zag splinters in zijn ogen.
Ik zag hoe hij in een maand tijd
zijn hele afdeling had verloren.

Ooit, na een afscheid in een kamer
die veranderde in een graf,
nam ik mij voor:
ik verbreek nooit meer een relatie.
En nu zag ik dat ik het toch had gedaan, alweer.

Ik zag hoe hij alleen achterbleef.
Alleen met het kopieerapparaat.
De pijn, de authentieke pijn
in de ogen van mijn direct leidinggevende.

Ik begreep ook dat leidinggeven
een ondergewaardeerde vorm van liefde is.
Close

Leave-taking

Today I broke up
with my immediate superior.
I asked him to sit down a moment,
took a deep breath,
and pulled the pin from the hand grenade.
First, I saw astonishment on his face and then,
to my surprise, genuine pain.
I saw splinters in his eyes.
I saw how he had lost his whole department
in the space of a month.

Once, after breaking up with someone in a room
that turned into a grave,
I made the decision:
I will never end a relationship again.
And now I saw I had done it all the same.

I saw how he stayed behind alone.
Alone with the photocopier.
The pain, the genuine pain
in the eyes of my immediate superior.

I also realized that being a superior
is an underrated form of love.

Leave-taking

Today I broke up
with my immediate superior.
I asked him to sit down a moment,
took a deep breath,
and pulled the pin from the hand grenade.
First, I saw astonishment on his face and then,
to my surprise, genuine pain.
I saw splinters in his eyes.
I saw how he had lost his whole department
in the space of a month.

Once, after breaking up with someone in a room
that turned into a grave,
I made the decision:
I will never end a relationship again.
And now I saw I had done it all the same.

I saw how he stayed behind alone.
Alone with the photocopier.
The pain, the genuine pain
in the eyes of my immediate superior.

I also realized that being a superior
is an underrated form of love.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère