Ingmar Heytze
PARADISE
Paradise is not a large garden but a spacious, soundless
moving car whizzing along God’s many roads.
Occasionally Adam and Eve get out to stretch their legs.
They enjoy the landscape, which is multiform and magnificent.
By day they steer themselves, at night the car runs on autopilot
and they sleep in their seats. They are on the road alone.
Sometimes during the day, they stray a bit into the bush and pass
through a nice parable with an animal, but they never venture far
from the highway, and from the safe German car
(God is a German) in which they drive on and on.
One day, Eve wonders aloud, ‘What would this button be for?’
And then God, who has been invisible in the back seat all this time
sitting there: ‘You should definitely not press that button.’
Eve presses the button and the built-in navigation screen comes
to life. A neutral female voice tells how long they will be on the
road, where they are heading and how to get there.
Adam asks: ‘Are we heading there?’
Eve asks, ‘And will it take that long?’
Adam says: ‘Are we really only heading there?’
Eve says: ‘And then what?’
Adam says: ‘Do we actually want to know that we...’
But it’s too late. Ostensibly, nothing has changed. They can
still go in all directions, but now there’s a voice warning,
giving instructions and constantly recalculating their destiny to the end.
From: Ik wilde je iets moois vertellen
Publisher: First publication on poetryinternational.com, , 2018
HET PARADIJS
HET PARADIJS
Het paradijs is geen grote tuin maar een riante, geluidloos
rijdende auto die over Gods vele wegen suist.
Af en toe stappen Adam en Eva uit om de benen te strekken.
Ze genieten van het landschap, dat veelvormig is en magnifiek.
Overdag sturen ze zelf, ‘s nachts rijdt de auto op de automatische piloot
en slapen ze in hun stoelen. Ze zijn alleen op de weg.
Een paar keer per dag lopen ze een stukje de bush in en maken
een mooie parabel mee met een dier, maar ze gaan nooit ver
van de snelweg, en van de veilige Duitse auto
(God is een Duitser) waarin ze almaar verder rijden.
Op een dag vraagt Eva zich hardop af: ‘Waar zou deze knop voor zijn?’
en dan zegt God, die al die tijd onzichtbaar op de achterbank
heeft gezeten: ‘Die knop mag je beslist niet indrukken.’
Eva drukt op de knop en het ingebouwde navigatiescherm komt
tot leven. Een neutrale vrouwenstem vertelt hoe lang ze nog onderweg
zijn, waar ze naar op weg zijn en hoe ze moeten rijden.
Adam vraagt: ‘Zijn we dáárnaar op weg?’
Eva vraagt: ‘En duurt dat nog zó lang?’
Adam zegt: ‘Zijn we werkelijk alleen maar dáárnaar op weg?’
Eva zegt: ‘En daarna dan?’
Adam zegt: ‘Willen we eigenlijk wel weten dat we…’
Maar het is te laat. Ogenschijnlijk is er niets veranderd. Ze kunnen
nog steeds alle kanten op, maar nu is er een stem die waarschuwt,
instructies geeft en voortdurend de weg naar het einde herberekent.
From: Ik wilde je iets moois vertellen
Publisher: Uitgeverij Podium, Amsterdam
PARADISE
Paradise is not a large garden but a spacious, soundless
moving car whizzing along God’s many roads.
Occasionally Adam and Eve get out to stretch their legs.
They enjoy the landscape, which is multiform and magnificent.
By day they steer themselves, at night the car runs on autopilot
and they sleep in their seats. They are on the road alone.
Sometimes during the day, they stray a bit into the bush and pass
through a nice parable with an animal, but they never venture far
from the highway, and from the safe German car
(God is a German) in which they drive on and on.
One day, Eve wonders aloud, ‘What would this button be for?’
And then God, who has been invisible in the back seat all this time
sitting there: ‘You should definitely not press that button.’
Eve presses the button and the built-in navigation screen comes
to life. A neutral female voice tells how long they will be on the
road, where they are heading and how to get there.
Adam asks: ‘Are we heading there?’
Eve asks, ‘And will it take that long?’
Adam says: ‘Are we really only heading there?’
Eve says: ‘And then what?’
Adam says: ‘Do we actually want to know that we...’
But it’s too late. Ostensibly, nothing has changed. They can
still go in all directions, but now there’s a voice warning,
giving instructions and constantly recalculating their destiny to the end.
From: Ik wilde je iets moois vertellen
Publisher: 2018, First publication on poetryinternational.com, Amsterdam
PARADISE
Paradise is not a large garden but a spacious, soundless
moving car whizzing along God’s many roads.
Occasionally Adam and Eve get out to stretch their legs.
They enjoy the landscape, which is multiform and magnificent.
By day they steer themselves, at night the car runs on autopilot
and they sleep in their seats. They are on the road alone.
Sometimes during the day, they stray a bit into the bush and pass
through a nice parable with an animal, but they never venture far
from the highway, and from the safe German car
(God is a German) in which they drive on and on.
One day, Eve wonders aloud, ‘What would this button be for?’
And then God, who has been invisible in the back seat all this time
sitting there: ‘You should definitely not press that button.’
Eve presses the button and the built-in navigation screen comes
to life. A neutral female voice tells how long they will be on the
road, where they are heading and how to get there.
Adam asks: ‘Are we heading there?’
Eve asks, ‘And will it take that long?’
Adam says: ‘Are we really only heading there?’
Eve says: ‘And then what?’
Adam says: ‘Do we actually want to know that we...’
But it’s too late. Ostensibly, nothing has changed. They can
still go in all directions, but now there’s a voice warning,
giving instructions and constantly recalculating their destiny to the end.
From: Ik wilde je iets moois vertellen
Publisher: 2018, First publication on poetryinternational.com,
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