Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Eva Gerlach

SOON

It was evening when I let go, closed the hole of your mouth.
Nothing more moved in you, that I could feel for I held you
tight, was allowed to for once.

It’s 05:40 now, December, pitch-black,
the paper-boy on his bone-shaker does his rounds
and I think of you as of a word I almost know, 

cannot say it but it’s almost there, soon it will be
pushed inside me, then I’ll get up,
enter your room, wake you up, then you will move, 

then we’ll count the words together, they will all be there.

STRAKS

STRAKS

Het was avond toen ik je losliet, het gat van je mond sloot.
Er bewoog niets meer in je, dat kon ik voelen want ik
hield je vast, dat mocht voor een keer. 

Nu is het 05:40, december, stikdonker,
de krantenjongen gaat op zijn rammelfiets rond
en ik denk aan je als aan een woord dat ik bijna weet, 

kan het niet zeggen maar het is er bijna, straks
wordt het in me naar binnen geschoven, dan sta ik op,
ga je kamer in, maak je wakker, dan ga je bewegen, 

dan tellen we samen de woorden, die zijn er dan weer.

Close

SOON

It was evening when I let go, closed the hole of your mouth.
Nothing more moved in you, that I could feel for I held you
tight, was allowed to for once.

It’s 05:40 now, December, pitch-black,
the paper-boy on his bone-shaker does his rounds
and I think of you as of a word I almost know, 

cannot say it but it’s almost there, soon it will be
pushed inside me, then I’ll get up,
enter your room, wake you up, then you will move, 

then we’ll count the words together, they will all be there.

SOON

It was evening when I let go, closed the hole of your mouth.
Nothing more moved in you, that I could feel for I held you
tight, was allowed to for once.

It’s 05:40 now, December, pitch-black,
the paper-boy on his bone-shaker does his rounds
and I think of you as of a word I almost know, 

cannot say it but it’s almost there, soon it will be
pushed inside me, then I’ll get up,
enter your room, wake you up, then you will move, 

then we’ll count the words together, they will all be there.

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère