Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Nadia Adina Rose

A CHILDREN\'S STORY

The letter “vav” enters between “mem” and “taf”*
Mother pulled it out
as if extracting a thin children’s book
crushed between volumes of the dictionary

“Look,” as she opens the illustrated page,
“The carp has just fallen asleep in the crib of the frying pan
The shot hero of the film has returned to act
Uncle Mark went to convalesce in the Altai Mountains
And your canary has returned to the Canary Islands”

Lately the pages have expanded to the size of the walls
(appearing on them Grandma, father, my sister)
Grandma falls asleep
Father has gone to the Altai Mountains
and my sister has returned to the Canary Islands.

סיפור ילדים

סיפור ילדים

הָאוֹת ו"ו נִכְנְסָה בֵּין מ"ם לְת"ו
אִמָּא שָׁלְפָה אוֹתָהּ הַחוּצָה
כִּמְחַלֶּצֶת סֵפֶר יְלָדִים דַּק
הַנִּמְחָץ בֵּין כִּרְכֵי הַמִּלּוֹן        

"תִּסְתַּכְּלִי", פּוֹתַחַת בָּעַמּוּד הַמְּאֻיָּר:          
"הַקַּרְפְּיוֹן רַק נִרְדַּם בְּעֲרִיסַת הַמַּחֲבַת
גִּבּוֹר הַסֶּרֶט הַיָּרוּי חָזַר לִהְיוֹת שַׂחְקָן  
דוֹד מַרְק נָסַע לְהַחְלִים בְּהָרֵי הַאַלְטַאי      
וְהַקָנָרִית שֶׁלָּךְ שָׁבָה לְאִיִּים הַקָנָרִיִים".

לָאַחֲרוֹנָה הַדַּפִּים מִתְרַחֲבִים לְגֹדֶל שֶׁל קִּירוֹת
(מוֹפִיעִים עֲלֵיהֶם סָבְתָא, אַבָּא, אֲחוֹתִי)
סָבְתָא נִרְדֶּמֶת
אַבָּא נוֹסֵעַ לְהָרֵי הַאַלְטַאי       
וַאֲחוֹתִי שָׁבָה לְאִיִּים הַקָנָרִיִים.
Close

A CHILDREN\'S STORY

The letter “vav” enters between “mem” and “taf”*
Mother pulled it out
as if extracting a thin children’s book
crushed between volumes of the dictionary

“Look,” as she opens the illustrated page,
“The carp has just fallen asleep in the crib of the frying pan
The shot hero of the film has returned to act
Uncle Mark went to convalesce in the Altai Mountains
And your canary has returned to the Canary Islands”

Lately the pages have expanded to the size of the walls
(appearing on them Grandma, father, my sister)
Grandma falls asleep
Father has gone to the Altai Mountains
and my sister has returned to the Canary Islands.

A CHILDREN\'S STORY

The letter “vav” enters between “mem” and “taf”*
Mother pulled it out
as if extracting a thin children’s book
crushed between volumes of the dictionary

“Look,” as she opens the illustrated page,
“The carp has just fallen asleep in the crib of the frying pan
The shot hero of the film has returned to act
Uncle Mark went to convalesce in the Altai Mountains
And your canary has returned to the Canary Islands”

Lately the pages have expanded to the size of the walls
(appearing on them Grandma, father, my sister)
Grandma falls asleep
Father has gone to the Altai Mountains
and my sister has returned to the Canary Islands.
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