Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Andrea Inglese

LET LIFE BEGIN FROM THAT DOG

Let life begin from that dog
lying, or from that dying ivy
that has a hard sod, in marble.
Let it give a new signal, a blaze,
the naked stomach of the one who speaks
gazing at his laceless shoes,
let the raven detach from the wall too
resplendent like a soldier’s boot.

And let it be seen, from the way the shadow changes
within the sink, that
something is happening, and let the greatest attention be paid
to the intervals
between two bureaucratic matters to be dealt with,
precisely when the birth statement
mistakenly changes name and family,
or the bank statement illustrates the emptiness
of the bag. Right then.

(In the meantime, standing between two people
who were late, looking at their wrists
raised level with their faces,
a lady has taken a picture of a sheet
lying on the ground. There a great phone number
stood out, printed
black on white.)

LET LIFE BEGIN FROM THAT DOG

Che la vita cominci da quel cane
sdraiato, o da quell’edera morente
che ha una zolla dura, di marmo.
Dia un nuovo segnale, una vampa,
il ventre nudo di quello che parla
guardandosi le scarpe senza stringhe,
si stacchi dal muro anche il corvo
lustro come uno stivale di soldato.

E si veda, da come cambia l’ombra
dentro al lavabo, che sta
avvenendo qualcosa, e si faccia
massima attenzione agli intervalli
tra le due faccende burocratiche da svolgere,
proprio quando l’estratto di nascita
ti cambia per sbaglio nome e famiglia,
o l’estratto conto disegna l’asciutto
del sacco. Proprio allora.

(Intanto, ferma tra due persone
in ritardo, che guardavano il polso
sollevato all’altezza del viso,
una signora ha fotografato un foglio
poggiato a terra. Vi campeggiava
un grande numero telefonico stampato
nero su bianco.)
Close

LET LIFE BEGIN FROM THAT DOG

Let life begin from that dog
lying, or from that dying ivy
that has a hard sod, in marble.
Let it give a new signal, a blaze,
the naked stomach of the one who speaks
gazing at his laceless shoes,
let the raven detach from the wall too
resplendent like a soldier’s boot.

And let it be seen, from the way the shadow changes
within the sink, that
something is happening, and let the greatest attention be paid
to the intervals
between two bureaucratic matters to be dealt with,
precisely when the birth statement
mistakenly changes name and family,
or the bank statement illustrates the emptiness
of the bag. Right then.

(In the meantime, standing between two people
who were late, looking at their wrists
raised level with their faces,
a lady has taken a picture of a sheet
lying on the ground. There a great phone number
stood out, printed
black on white.)

LET LIFE BEGIN FROM THAT DOG

Let life begin from that dog
lying, or from that dying ivy
that has a hard sod, in marble.
Let it give a new signal, a blaze,
the naked stomach of the one who speaks
gazing at his laceless shoes,
let the raven detach from the wall too
resplendent like a soldier’s boot.

And let it be seen, from the way the shadow changes
within the sink, that
something is happening, and let the greatest attention be paid
to the intervals
between two bureaucratic matters to be dealt with,
precisely when the birth statement
mistakenly changes name and family,
or the bank statement illustrates the emptiness
of the bag. Right then.

(In the meantime, standing between two people
who were late, looking at their wrists
raised level with their faces,
a lady has taken a picture of a sheet
lying on the ground. There a great phone number
stood out, printed
black on white.)
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
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