Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Hiroshi Kawasaki

SO VERY

What’s that,
so far away –
something running extremely fast,
so far, far
away,
being beaten black and blue,
as if its body has been thrashed
to a pulp,
as if it’s making
a faint, faint sound?
Incredibly fast . . .
Is some old friend of mine
having
a terrible time of it?
Is every loathsome memory of mine
running
this way
with unstoppable force?
Or
is a car
overloaded with flowers
being torn apart
and laughing strangely?

Incredibly fast, that . . .
So very far away.

SO VERY

Close

SO VERY

What’s that,
so far away –
something running extremely fast,
so far, far
away,
being beaten black and blue,
as if its body has been thrashed
to a pulp,
as if it’s making
a faint, faint sound?
Incredibly fast . . .
Is some old friend of mine
having
a terrible time of it?
Is every loathsome memory of mine
running
this way
with unstoppable force?
Or
is a car
overloaded with flowers
being torn apart
and laughing strangely?

Incredibly fast, that . . .
So very far away.

SO VERY

What’s that,
so far away –
something running extremely fast,
so far, far
away,
being beaten black and blue,
as if its body has been thrashed
to a pulp,
as if it’s making
a faint, faint sound?
Incredibly fast . . .
Is some old friend of mine
having
a terrible time of it?
Is every loathsome memory of mine
running
this way
with unstoppable force?
Or
is a car
overloaded with flowers
being torn apart
and laughing strangely?

Incredibly fast, that . . .
So very far away.
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Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
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Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
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