Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Rita Kogan

FIR TREES AREN\'T

Our fir trees accost your eyes,
Our names confuse your tongues.
To you, we are a Russian circus:
Submissive women,
Drinking men,
Old men in medals,
Old women with mops
Boys who excel in physics,
Girls who are sluts.

Fuck off, I’m telling you,
With your national project,
With your melting pot,
With your “normal” names,
With your Arik Einstein nostalgia,
Don’t come to my Russian circus,
Because I’m a submissive man,
A drinking woman,
An old man in a parking lot,
An old woman on a swing,
A boy in a tutu,
A girl who codes in Python.

We all dance the hora
To the sound of Pussy Riot.

עצי ‬אשוח ‬לא

עצי ‬אשוח ‬לא

עֲצֵי ‬אַשּׁוּחַ ‬לֹא ‬בָּאִים ‬לָכֶם ‬טוֹב ‬בָּעַיִן.
הַשֵּׁמוֹת ‬שֶׁלָּנוּ ‬לֹא ‬בָּאִים ‬לָכֶם ‬טוֹב ‬בַּפֶּה.
בִּשְׁבִילְכֶם ‬אֲנַחְנוּ ‬קִרְקָס ‬רוּסִי:‬
נָשִׁים ‬כְּנוּעוֹת,‬
גְּבָרִים ‬שׁוֹתִים,‬
זְקֵנִים ‬בְּמֶדַלְיוֹת,‬
זְקֵנוֹת ‬מְנַקּוֹת,‬
יְלָדִים ‬מִצְטַיְּנִים ‬בְּפִיזִיקָה,‬
יְלָדוֹת ‬שַׁרְמוּטוֹת.

זְדַּיְּנוּ, ‬אֲנִי ‬אוֹמֶרֶת ‬לָכֶם,‬
עִם ‬הַמִּפְעָל ‬שֶׁלָּכֶם,‬
עִם ‬כּוּר ‬הַהִתּוּךְ ‬שֶׁלָּכֶם,‬
עִם ‬הַשֵּׁמוֹת ‬הַנְּכוֹנִים ‬שֶׁלָּכֶם,‬
עִם ‬הַנּוֹסְטַלְגְּיָה ‬הָאַרִיק־אַיְנְשְׁטֵיְנִית ‬שֶׁלָּכֶם,‬
וְאַל ‬תָּבוֹאוּ ‬לִצְפּוֹת ‬בַּקִּרְקָס ‬הָרוּסִי ‬שֶׁלִּי,‬
כִּי ‬אֲנִי ‬גֶּבֶר ‬כָּנוּעַ,‬
אִשָּׁה ‬שׁוֹתָה,‬
זָקֵן ‬בְּחַנְיוֹן,‬
זְקֵנָה ‬עַל ‬נַדְנֵדָה,‬
יֶלֶד ‬בַּחֲצָאִית ‬טוּטוּ,‬
יַלְדָּה ‬מְפַתַּחַת ‬בְּפַּיְתוֹן.

כֻּלָּנוּ ‬רוֹקְדִים ‬הוֹרָה
לִצְלִילֵי ‬פּוּסִי ‬רַָיוֹט.
 
Close

FIR TREES AREN\'T

Our fir trees accost your eyes,
Our names confuse your tongues.
To you, we are a Russian circus:
Submissive women,
Drinking men,
Old men in medals,
Old women with mops
Boys who excel in physics,
Girls who are sluts.

Fuck off, I’m telling you,
With your national project,
With your melting pot,
With your “normal” names,
With your Arik Einstein nostalgia,
Don’t come to my Russian circus,
Because I’m a submissive man,
A drinking woman,
An old man in a parking lot,
An old woman on a swing,
A boy in a tutu,
A girl who codes in Python.

We all dance the hora
To the sound of Pussy Riot.

FIR TREES AREN\'T

Our fir trees accost your eyes,
Our names confuse your tongues.
To you, we are a Russian circus:
Submissive women,
Drinking men,
Old men in medals,
Old women with mops
Boys who excel in physics,
Girls who are sluts.

Fuck off, I’m telling you,
With your national project,
With your melting pot,
With your “normal” names,
With your Arik Einstein nostalgia,
Don’t come to my Russian circus,
Because I’m a submissive man,
A drinking woman,
An old man in a parking lot,
An old woman on a swing,
A boy in a tutu,
A girl who codes in Python.

We all dance the hora
To the sound of Pussy Riot.
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