Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ruth Lasters

DISHES

The very last people are eating in an endless trophy room
sitting on Ballons d'Or like Zidane's, Van Basten's and Figo's. 

They are cutting up gilt-head bream from oxygen-starved oceans
on platinum discs, such as Abbey Road, Achtung Baby, Nevermind
and glugging out of gilded cups from Grand Slams

a juice, made cloying by heat, with crazy old names
such as Lafite, Meursault. Mouths, chins, over there they are wiping them clean 

with pages torn from The Waves or Un Amour de Swann
and sometimes even strips of canvas from
Las dos Fridas or Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. 

Their mid-millennium melancholy
mutates there into extreme, languid delusions of grandeur from continually
running their tongues and lips along such lustrous 

dishes from which, ultimately, after use,
they even refuse to remove mouldy food scraps, increasingly toxic
as a result. Finally, mankind becomes extinct 

due to nothing more than the lack of a volunteer to do
the dishes.

SERVIES

SERVIES

De allerlaatste mensen eten in een eindeloze trofeeënkamer
zittend op Ballons d’Or als van Zidane, Van Basten en Figo. 

Ze snijden dwerggoudbrasems uit zuurstofarme oceanen aan
op platina platen zoals Abbey Road, Achtung Baby, Nevermind
en slurpen uit vergulde bekers van Grand Slams

een door hitte erg versuikerd sap met gekke oude namen
als Lafite, Meursault. Monden, kinnen veegt men ginder schoon 

met vellen uit The Waves gerukt of Un amour de Swann
en soms ook wel met repels canvas uit
Las dos Fridas of uit Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

Hun medio-millennium-moedeloosheid
muteert er tot extreem lome grootheidswaan door steeds
met tongen, lippen langs zulk luisterrijk 

servies te gaan, dat ze ten slotte weigeren na gebruik
zelf van etensresten te ontdoen met schimmels, almaar giftigere
tot resultaat. Uiteindelijk sterft de mensheid uit 

door niets dan een gebrek aan een vrijwilliger
voor de vaat.

Close

DISHES

The very last people are eating in an endless trophy room
sitting on Ballons d'Or like Zidane's, Van Basten's and Figo's. 

They are cutting up gilt-head bream from oxygen-starved oceans
on platinum discs, such as Abbey Road, Achtung Baby, Nevermind
and glugging out of gilded cups from Grand Slams

a juice, made cloying by heat, with crazy old names
such as Lafite, Meursault. Mouths, chins, over there they are wiping them clean 

with pages torn from The Waves or Un Amour de Swann
and sometimes even strips of canvas from
Las dos Fridas or Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. 

Their mid-millennium melancholy
mutates there into extreme, languid delusions of grandeur from continually
running their tongues and lips along such lustrous 

dishes from which, ultimately, after use,
they even refuse to remove mouldy food scraps, increasingly toxic
as a result. Finally, mankind becomes extinct 

due to nothing more than the lack of a volunteer to do
the dishes.

DISHES

The very last people are eating in an endless trophy room
sitting on Ballons d'Or like Zidane's, Van Basten's and Figo's. 

They are cutting up gilt-head bream from oxygen-starved oceans
on platinum discs, such as Abbey Road, Achtung Baby, Nevermind
and glugging out of gilded cups from Grand Slams

a juice, made cloying by heat, with crazy old names
such as Lafite, Meursault. Mouths, chins, over there they are wiping them clean 

with pages torn from The Waves or Un Amour de Swann
and sometimes even strips of canvas from
Las dos Fridas or Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. 

Their mid-millennium melancholy
mutates there into extreme, languid delusions of grandeur from continually
running their tongues and lips along such lustrous 

dishes from which, ultimately, after use,
they even refuse to remove mouldy food scraps, increasingly toxic
as a result. Finally, mankind becomes extinct 

due to nothing more than the lack of a volunteer to do
the dishes.

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