Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Valerio Magrelli

Train-comet

The claimant\'s request is based on the premise that, following
passage of a freight train, a fire spread from the nearby tracks to
his own adjoining property, destroying his crops. He further claims
that the fire was started by a fail-ure to disengage the brakes, when
the train was already in motion, from the wheels of a single boxcar,
unleashing a series of flying sparks. The mechanic\'s report, here
attached, suggests that ducts obstructed by oil impurities jammed the
brakes, resulting in red hot shoes and treads, and a burned out chassis.

(from sentence no. 6826/87, ROME CIVIL COURTS)



Train-comet,
bewitched matchbox, iron
grinding against the rails,
brake pulled, friction,
screeches, train--
strain, mangling the night.
I was approaching with blocked wheels
contracted vertebrae
hyphenated-words,
and from my strain stemmed heat
and color, and an odor
of burnt flesh:
sparks, tongues of fire
raining in the night.
Oh, braking boxcars, hyphenated-words,
fricative that I am, picture of friction.

Treno-cometa

Treno-cometa

Assumeva l\'attore, a fondamento della domanda, che a seguito del passaggio di
un treno merci si era sprigionato un incendio il quale, dalla sede ferroviaria,
si era diffuso alla confinante proprietà di esso attore, distruggendo le
culture ivi esistenti. Aggiungeva che l\'incendio era stato determinato da un
vagone del treno dai cui freni, rimasti bloccati malgrado il movimento del
convoglio, si erano sprigionati fasci di scintille. (Dalla allegata relazione
di officina si desume che, a causa dell\'inceppamento del freno per ostruzione
delle condutture dovuta a impurità dell\'olio, i ceppi e cerchioni del carrello
erano fortemente arrossati per il surriscaldamento, ed il sottocassa bruciato.

(sentenza n. 6826/87 del Tribunale Civile di Roma)


Treno-cometa
fiammifero stregato, ferro
sfregato contro le rotaie,
freno tirato e attrito,
treno-freno che strazia
e stride nella notte.
Venivo avanti con le ruote bloccate
le vertebre contratte
le parole-trattino
e dal mio sforzo veniva
un calore e un colore
e un odore di carne strinata:
scintille, una pioggia di lingue
focaie nella notte.
Ah vagoni frenati, ah parole-trattino
io fricativo, ritratto dell\'attrito.
Close

Train-comet

The claimant\'s request is based on the premise that, following
passage of a freight train, a fire spread from the nearby tracks to
his own adjoining property, destroying his crops. He further claims
that the fire was started by a fail-ure to disengage the brakes, when
the train was already in motion, from the wheels of a single boxcar,
unleashing a series of flying sparks. The mechanic\'s report, here
attached, suggests that ducts obstructed by oil impurities jammed the
brakes, resulting in red hot shoes and treads, and a burned out chassis.

(from sentence no. 6826/87, ROME CIVIL COURTS)



Train-comet,
bewitched matchbox, iron
grinding against the rails,
brake pulled, friction,
screeches, train--
strain, mangling the night.
I was approaching with blocked wheels
contracted vertebrae
hyphenated-words,
and from my strain stemmed heat
and color, and an odor
of burnt flesh:
sparks, tongues of fire
raining in the night.
Oh, braking boxcars, hyphenated-words,
fricative that I am, picture of friction.

Train-comet

The claimant\'s request is based on the premise that, following
passage of a freight train, a fire spread from the nearby tracks to
his own adjoining property, destroying his crops. He further claims
that the fire was started by a fail-ure to disengage the brakes, when
the train was already in motion, from the wheels of a single boxcar,
unleashing a series of flying sparks. The mechanic\'s report, here
attached, suggests that ducts obstructed by oil impurities jammed the
brakes, resulting in red hot shoes and treads, and a burned out chassis.

(from sentence no. 6826/87, ROME CIVIL COURTS)



Train-comet,
bewitched matchbox, iron
grinding against the rails,
brake pulled, friction,
screeches, train--
strain, mangling the night.
I was approaching with blocked wheels
contracted vertebrae
hyphenated-words,
and from my strain stemmed heat
and color, and an odor
of burnt flesh:
sparks, tongues of fire
raining in the night.
Oh, braking boxcars, hyphenated-words,
fricative that I am, picture of friction.
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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