Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

K. Michel

BYYYE

as long as I’ve not been there
I don’t feel called upon
to say anything substantive
about the hereafter
that’s one two is the fact
that everything in space has a reverse
side in time everything has a thereafter
the door closes turns wall
turns house turns garden road after the full stop
the white of the next sentence begins
thinking is just not possible
other than thus – in pairs of concepts –
we know no real ends it is
the fault of the seasons being always
strange otherwise completely the same
(thought the first ex-apes) a languid
regularity that awakens expectations
that was three and fourthly
I want to send my regards to Eddy and Gerard
Wout and Auntie Riet
finally I’m bound to say
that the whole concept
reminds me most of a traffic sign
(at a junction near Han-sur-Lesse)
with two big bossy arrows
below the one pointing left
it says toutes directions
under the one pointing right
autres directions

DAAAG

DAAAG

zolang ik er niet geweest ben
voel ik me niet geroepen
over het hiernamaals
iets substantieels te beweren
dat is een twee is dat
alles in de ruimte een achterzijde
heeft in de tijd alles een erna
de deur gaat dicht wordt muur
wordt huis wordt tuin weg na de punt
begint het wit van de volgende zin
anders dan zo – in begrippenparen –
denken wil maar niet lukken
echte eindes kennen we niet het is
de schuld van de seizoenen want altijd
wonderlijk anders helemaal hetzelfde
(dachten de eerste ex-apen) een slome
regelmaat die verwachtingen wekt
dat was drie en ten vierde
wil ik bij deze Eddy en Gerard
Wout en tante Riet de groeten doen
ten leste moet me van het hart
dat het hele begrip me nog het meest
doet denken aan een verkeersbord
(op een kruising bij Han-sur-Lesse)
met twee forse bazige pijlen
onder die naar links
staat toutes directions
onder die naar rechts wijst
autres directions
Close

BYYYE

as long as I’ve not been there
I don’t feel called upon
to say anything substantive
about the hereafter
that’s one two is the fact
that everything in space has a reverse
side in time everything has a thereafter
the door closes turns wall
turns house turns garden road after the full stop
the white of the next sentence begins
thinking is just not possible
other than thus – in pairs of concepts –
we know no real ends it is
the fault of the seasons being always
strange otherwise completely the same
(thought the first ex-apes) a languid
regularity that awakens expectations
that was three and fourthly
I want to send my regards to Eddy and Gerard
Wout and Auntie Riet
finally I’m bound to say
that the whole concept
reminds me most of a traffic sign
(at a junction near Han-sur-Lesse)
with two big bossy arrows
below the one pointing left
it says toutes directions
under the one pointing right
autres directions

BYYYE

as long as I’ve not been there
I don’t feel called upon
to say anything substantive
about the hereafter
that’s one two is the fact
that everything in space has a reverse
side in time everything has a thereafter
the door closes turns wall
turns house turns garden road after the full stop
the white of the next sentence begins
thinking is just not possible
other than thus – in pairs of concepts –
we know no real ends it is
the fault of the seasons being always
strange otherwise completely the same
(thought the first ex-apes) a languid
regularity that awakens expectations
that was three and fourthly
I want to send my regards to Eddy and Gerard
Wout and Auntie Riet
finally I’m bound to say
that the whole concept
reminds me most of a traffic sign
(at a junction near Han-sur-Lesse)
with two big bossy arrows
below the one pointing left
it says toutes directions
under the one pointing right
autres directions
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