Momtaza Mehri
CONDITIONALS
VOORWAARDEN
Als we van dezelfde dingen houden, zijn we vrienden.
Als we dezelfde dingen haten, zijn we vrienden.
Als we dromen in dezelfde taal, zijn we vrienden.
Als we terugdeinzen voor dezelfde handen, zijn we vrienden.
Als we voor tienen ontbijten, zijn we vrienden.
Als we instemmen met dezelfde leugens, zijn we landgenoten.
CONDITIONALS
If we love the same things, that makes us friends.
If we hate the same things, that makes us friends.
If we dream in the same language, that makes us friends.
If we flinch from the same hands, that makes us friends
If we eat breakfast before ten, that makes us friends.
If we agree on the same lies, that makes us countrymen.
From: Bad Diaspora Poems
Publisher: Jonathan Cape,
Momtaza Mehri
It is tempting to say that Momtaza Mehri’s poems mix personal experiences with world events, but of course the point is that world events are personal experiences – they happen to people. Mehri is a poet, essayist and editor, and former Young People’s Laureate for London. Currently, she is the Poet-in-Residence at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. Her work is broad and complex, informe...
CONDITIONALS
If we love the same things, that makes us friends.
If we hate the same things, that makes us friends.
If we dream in the same language, that makes us friends.
If we flinch from the same hands, that makes us friends
If we eat breakfast before ten, that makes us friends.
If we agree on the same lies, that makes us countrymen.
CONDITIONALS
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