Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Kim Hyesoon

ALL THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

On the seat you left, two beer bottles, a cigarette butt, two pieces of scratch paper.
Why are you screening my calls, my messages? Don’t you have anything else to do?
You are the bourgeoisie of communication. Why am I always afraid of the phone?
When you look at me, I always feel as if I should change into something else.
How about changing myself into a bundle of clothes dumped on the sofa
or a pale pink wad of bubble gum dangling from someone’s lips
like the poor tummies of all the animals that flail about when they are turned over?
Do you know?
Eyesnavel god. Forearmsearflap god.
Sweetpotatokneesappleseed god. Pigstoenailschick god.
Dreamingdivingbeetlesashtree god. Lovelygirlsheelstoenail god.
Antsghostscatseyeball god. Ratholescatsrottingwater god.
Mrsdustingarmselephant god. Salivadropexplodeslikefreongas.
Salivafountainevenmoremortifyingnauseatingthanthesmelloflionsrottenbreath god.
Do you know all the dearest gods that are hanging onto our limbs?
On the seat you left, a wet towel, a wad of gum, a crushed tomato.
Dear blackgarbagebags who thankfully lent each one of their bodies.
Dear foldedarms of the window and concrete and steel under my feet.
How high the armsofthemachinehammers that beat down steadily upon
those foldedarms.
All the pigs of the world unite god. All the cats of the world let’s become a butter god.
Dear wrists escape from the arms god. Heap of curses, mackerel corpses spit out from a soccer player’s mouth god. There are 3 million gods in India. How many people live there?
Dearest multiple gods that have swarmed in from the sky, land, sea.
On the seat you left, I sit like a garbage god, and do you or don’t you know
that I wait for the green truck heading to the landfill like the dearest dirtiest loftiest god
who has long endured till now because of its hunger for humans?
Do you or don’t you know that every day our hair falls and mixes with the melting water of an iceberg in the faraway sea?
Yournostrilssingledropofapricklynosehairearth god!

VUILNIS VAN DE HELE WERELD VERENIGT U!


Op de stoel die jij verliet, twee bierflessen een sigarettenpeuk twee memovelletjes. Waarom bemoei jij je met mijn telefoon? Waarom bemoei jij je met mijn smsjes? Is er niets anders om je op die manier mee te bemoeien?
Jij bent de bourgeois van de communicatie. Waarom ben ik altijd bang voor de telefoon?
Als ik jou aankijk, dan is het altijd alsof ik in iets anders zou moeten veranderen. Hoe zou het zijn als ik veranderde in een op de bank neergekwakte bundel kleren?
Of in een dunne roze kauwgum die hangt aan iemands lippen
als de zielige buik van al die beesten
die liggen te spartelen zodra ze op hun rug zijn gedraaid?
Ken je dit? De oogbolnavelgod . De onderarmoorschelpgod.
De batatenknieappelpitgod. De varkensteennagelkuikengod.
De dromende-waterkever-essengod.
De hielenteennagelvaneenschattigmeisjegod.
De mierendemonkattenooggod.
De rattengatkattenlichaamkadavervochtgod.
Deonderarmvandemevrouwdieallesgoeduitschudtolifantgod.
De brakendespeekselfonteindienogvernederenderkotsmisselijkmaaktdandeverrottemondgeurvaneenlijkwaaruitspeekseldruppelsalsfreongasnaarbuitenspattengod.
Ken je al die lieve goden die vastzitten aan onze ledematen?
Op de stoel die jij verliet, een doorweekte handdoek, een uitgespuugde kauwgum, een platgedrukte tomaat. De dankbare lieve zwarte plastictasjes rond het hele lichaam waar ieder van hun om had verzocht. De samengevouwen onderarmen van het beton en het staal en het venster onder mijn voeten!
Omhoog met de machinehameronderamen die de onderarmen koppig naar beneden slaan!
De varkens van de hele wereld verenigt u god. De alle katten van de hele wereld laten wij boter worden god.
De polsen, ontkom aan de onderarmen god.
De aan de mond van een voetballer ontspruitende berg scheldwoorden makrelenlijk god.  Er zijn 3 miljoen lieve goden in Indië. Hoeveel mensen leven daar met zijn allen?
Tal van lieve goden die met zijn allen vanuit hemel aarde en zee aanstormden.
Op de stoel die jij verliet zit ik als een vuilnisgod en wist je ja of nee dat ik zit te wachten op de groene vrachtauto, die
naar de vuilstort gaat als die smerig opperste lieve god
die het tot op de dag van vandaag door zijn honger naar mensen heeft uitgehouden?
Wist je dat ons haar dat elke dag weer uitvalt zich in die verre zee vermengt met het smeltwater van een ijsberg? Of wist je dat niet?
Hardnekkigedruppelaaneenjeukendeneushaarinjeneusgatgod!

Close

ALL THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

On the seat you left, two beer bottles, a cigarette butt, two pieces of scratch paper.
Why are you screening my calls, my messages? Don’t you have anything else to do?
You are the bourgeoisie of communication. Why am I always afraid of the phone?
When you look at me, I always feel as if I should change into something else.
How about changing myself into a bundle of clothes dumped on the sofa
or a pale pink wad of bubble gum dangling from someone’s lips
like the poor tummies of all the animals that flail about when they are turned over?
Do you know?
Eyesnavel god. Forearmsearflap god.
Sweetpotatokneesappleseed god. Pigstoenailschick god.
Dreamingdivingbeetlesashtree god. Lovelygirlsheelstoenail god.
Antsghostscatseyeball god. Ratholescatsrottingwater god.
Mrsdustingarmselephant god. Salivadropexplodeslikefreongas.
Salivafountainevenmoremortifyingnauseatingthanthesmelloflionsrottenbreath god.
Do you know all the dearest gods that are hanging onto our limbs?
On the seat you left, a wet towel, a wad of gum, a crushed tomato.
Dear blackgarbagebags who thankfully lent each one of their bodies.
Dear foldedarms of the window and concrete and steel under my feet.
How high the armsofthemachinehammers that beat down steadily upon
those foldedarms.
All the pigs of the world unite god. All the cats of the world let’s become a butter god.
Dear wrists escape from the arms god. Heap of curses, mackerel corpses spit out from a soccer player’s mouth god. There are 3 million gods in India. How many people live there?
Dearest multiple gods that have swarmed in from the sky, land, sea.
On the seat you left, I sit like a garbage god, and do you or don’t you know
that I wait for the green truck heading to the landfill like the dearest dirtiest loftiest god
who has long endured till now because of its hunger for humans?
Do you or don’t you know that every day our hair falls and mixes with the melting water of an iceberg in the faraway sea?
Yournostrilssingledropofapricklynosehairearth god!

ALL THE GARBAGE OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

On the seat you left, two beer bottles, a cigarette butt, two pieces of scratch paper.
Why are you screening my calls, my messages? Don’t you have anything else to do?
You are the bourgeoisie of communication. Why am I always afraid of the phone?
When you look at me, I always feel as if I should change into something else.
How about changing myself into a bundle of clothes dumped on the sofa
or a pale pink wad of bubble gum dangling from someone’s lips
like the poor tummies of all the animals that flail about when they are turned over?
Do you know?
Eyesnavel god. Forearmsearflap god.
Sweetpotatokneesappleseed god. Pigstoenailschick god.
Dreamingdivingbeetlesashtree god. Lovelygirlsheelstoenail god.
Antsghostscatseyeball god. Ratholescatsrottingwater god.
Mrsdustingarmselephant god. Salivadropexplodeslikefreongas.
Salivafountainevenmoremortifyingnauseatingthanthesmelloflionsrottenbreath god.
Do you know all the dearest gods that are hanging onto our limbs?
On the seat you left, a wet towel, a wad of gum, a crushed tomato.
Dear blackgarbagebags who thankfully lent each one of their bodies.
Dear foldedarms of the window and concrete and steel under my feet.
How high the armsofthemachinehammers that beat down steadily upon
those foldedarms.
All the pigs of the world unite god. All the cats of the world let’s become a butter god.
Dear wrists escape from the arms god. Heap of curses, mackerel corpses spit out from a soccer player’s mouth god. There are 3 million gods in India. How many people live there?
Dearest multiple gods that have swarmed in from the sky, land, sea.
On the seat you left, I sit like a garbage god, and do you or don’t you know
that I wait for the green truck heading to the landfill like the dearest dirtiest loftiest god
who has long endured till now because of its hunger for humans?
Do you or don’t you know that every day our hair falls and mixes with the melting water of an iceberg in the faraway sea?
Yournostrilssingledropofapricklynosehairearth god!
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