Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ester Naomi Perquin

I REMEMBER

Coming home with the shopping, standing across from my house,
seeing the ambulance out the front and thinking: this is how
it goes, heard it so many times,
never believing that now 

the bag will fall, the bottle smash, eggs break, cherry tomatoes
go rolling through the hall, running upstairs, finding 

my love on the kitchen floor, son in the garden, the baby
in the cot, hedge-trimmer, carbon monoxide, slipped,
inexplicable, piece of bread, open window,
electric plug, heart attack, cot death – 

Then seeing the stranger on the pavement. A man, collapsed.
Thinking: that was close, too close for comfort,
that could have been one of mine,
but it’s not one of mine.
 

I remember the random passer-by there’s nothing to say about,
I don’t want to say anything about him, don’t want someone
to start existing collapsed on my doorstep, 

don’t want someone to become someone at the last moment, far too late,
I don’t want anything to do with it, I hold my breath,
my heart, my bag shut, my eggs safe.

WEET NOG WEL

WEET NOG WEL

Kwam met de boodschappen thuis, stond aan de overzijde
van mijn eigen huis, zag de ambulance voor de deur,
dacht: dit is hoe zoiets gaat, zo vaak gehoord,
nooit kunnen geloven dat nu 

de tas valt, de wijnfles in scherven, cherrytomaten rollend
door de gang, de eieren stuk, hollend naar boven, nu 

ligt de liefste in de keuken, het kind in de wieg, de zoon
in de tuin, heggenschaar, koolmonoxide, uitgegleden,
onverklaarbaar, stukje brood, open raam,
stopcontact, hartaanval, wiegendood – 

Zag toen de vreemde op de stoep. Een man, daar in elkaar gezakt.
Dacht: dat scheelde weinig, dat scheelde verdomd weinig,
dat had best een mens van mij kunnen zijn,
maar het is geen mens van mij. 

Weet nog de willekeurige passant waar niets over te zeggen valt,
wil niets over hem zeggen, wil niet dat iemand pas bestaat
terwijl hij in elkaar zakt voor mijn deur, 

wil niet dat iemand dan ineens iemand is, zo op de valreep,
veel te laat, wil part noch deel, hou mijn adem in,
mijn hart, mijn tas vast, mijn eieren heel.

Close

I REMEMBER

Coming home with the shopping, standing across from my house,
seeing the ambulance out the front and thinking: this is how
it goes, heard it so many times,
never believing that now 

the bag will fall, the bottle smash, eggs break, cherry tomatoes
go rolling through the hall, running upstairs, finding 

my love on the kitchen floor, son in the garden, the baby
in the cot, hedge-trimmer, carbon monoxide, slipped,
inexplicable, piece of bread, open window,
electric plug, heart attack, cot death – 

Then seeing the stranger on the pavement. A man, collapsed.
Thinking: that was close, too close for comfort,
that could have been one of mine,
but it’s not one of mine.
 

I remember the random passer-by there’s nothing to say about,
I don’t want to say anything about him, don’t want someone
to start existing collapsed on my doorstep, 

don’t want someone to become someone at the last moment, far too late,
I don’t want anything to do with it, I hold my breath,
my heart, my bag shut, my eggs safe.

I REMEMBER

Coming home with the shopping, standing across from my house,
seeing the ambulance out the front and thinking: this is how
it goes, heard it so many times,
never believing that now 

the bag will fall, the bottle smash, eggs break, cherry tomatoes
go rolling through the hall, running upstairs, finding 

my love on the kitchen floor, son in the garden, the baby
in the cot, hedge-trimmer, carbon monoxide, slipped,
inexplicable, piece of bread, open window,
electric plug, heart attack, cot death – 

Then seeing the stranger on the pavement. A man, collapsed.
Thinking: that was close, too close for comfort,
that could have been one of mine,
but it’s not one of mine.
 

I remember the random passer-by there’s nothing to say about,
I don’t want to say anything about him, don’t want someone
to start existing collapsed on my doorstep, 

don’t want someone to become someone at the last moment, far too late,
I don’t want anything to do with it, I hold my breath,
my heart, my bag shut, my eggs safe.

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