Poetry International Web
FABLES OF THE SACRED HEART
Dirk van Bastelaere
1)
Those were days of cycling in the mountains. Of climbing, descending.
Of enormous
...
Dirk van Bastelaere
1)
Those were days of cycling in the mountains. Of climbing, descending.
Of enormous
...
FABRIC
Giovanni Quessep
If I had your eyes, spinner,
I could see what I have never seen:
Silver threads, golden
...
Giovanni Quessep
If I had your eyes, spinner,
I could see what I have never seen:
Silver threads, golden
...
FACE
Umberto Fiori
Simply not to lose face
in the face of all of you,
how many things I have given up....
Umberto Fiori
Simply not to lose face
in the face of all of you,
how many things I have given up.
FACE
Kim Hyesoon
There is another you inside you
The you inside you pulls you tight into the inside, so
...
Kim Hyesoon
There is another you inside you
The you inside you pulls you tight into the inside, so
...
FACTORY OF TEARS
Valzhyna Mort
And once again according to the annual report
the highest productivity results were
...
Valzhyna Mort
And once again according to the annual report
the highest productivity results were
...
FADED DAYS
Remco Campert
It was late in the evening
rain caught in lamplight
beat down on the cobbles
of
...
Remco Campert
It was late in the evening
rain caught in lamplight
beat down on the cobbles
of
...
FADO
J. Slauerhoff
Am I slow because I’m sad,
Find it all a venal charade,
Feel on earth no more’s to be
...
J. Slauerhoff
Am I slow because I’m sad,
Find it all a venal charade,
Feel on earth no more’s to be
...
FADO MENOR
Manuel de Freitas
He got used to walking
under the plane trees, dissipating
hangovers and hazy memories.
...
Manuel de Freitas
He got used to walking
under the plane trees, dissipating
hangovers and hazy memories.
...
FAIR COPY DRAWING
Marcel Beyer
I see you draw soot, water, pores in the
plastic curtain, daylight, it smells of
quilt, of
...
Marcel Beyer
I see you draw soot, water, pores in the
plastic curtain, daylight, it smells of
quilt, of
...
FAIRY TALE
Arjen Duinker
There once was a banker
Who for all the wrong reasons
Had become a banker.
He
...
Arjen Duinker
There once was a banker
Who for all the wrong reasons
Had become a banker.
He
...
FAIRY-TALE
Gerrit Krol
No man, because no woman.
Man watches TV, drinks coffee, looks out the window. Phones
...
Gerrit Krol
No man, because no woman.
Man watches TV, drinks coffee, looks out the window. Phones
...
FAIRYLAND
Serge Delaive
Seven naked women
all wearing for finery
a torque around the neck
advancing
...
Serge Delaive
Seven naked women
all wearing for finery
a torque around the neck
advancing
...
FALLING STAR
Masayo Koike
Above our heads
A star fell
A strong bluish star
Like the moment when for the
...
Masayo Koike
Above our heads
A star fell
A strong bluish star
Like the moment when for the
...
FALSETTO TREASURES DEPTH
Marc Kregting
Jabbing the fork next to the cake. Amusing
this could be, that starter to speechless.
The
...
Marc Kregting
Jabbing the fork next to the cake. Amusing
this could be, that starter to speechless.
The
...
FAMILY
Tatsuji Miyoshi
As his son was to start school
Dad wrote poems everyday
The poems turned into a cap, a
...
Tatsuji Miyoshi
As his son was to start school
Dad wrote poems everyday
The poems turned into a cap, a
...
FAMILY STORY
Ming Di
Once upon a tree my family
was a legend of woods with ten Suns
above, burning at night.
...
Ming Di
Once upon a tree my family
was a legend of woods with ten Suns
above, burning at night.
...
FAMILY*
Tatsuji Miyoshi
Because his son was about to start school
The father wrote poems every day
The poems
...
Tatsuji Miyoshi
Because his son was about to start school
The father wrote poems every day
The poems
...
FANS
Margarita Cardona
My hand wants to hold the book
And the book to hold it
To be its prolongation
It
...
Margarita Cardona
My hand wants to hold the book
And the book to hold it
To be its prolongation
It
...
FANTASY
Liat Kaplan
The apartment will be private: air empty and pure of other breaths
will flow through my lungs.
...
Liat Kaplan
The apartment will be private: air empty and pure of other breaths
will flow through my lungs.
...
FANTASY
Andriy Bondar
the extraterrestrials are the souls of dead african children
who pursue the europeans
taking
...
Andriy Bondar
the extraterrestrials are the souls of dead african children
who pursue the europeans
taking
...
FAREWELL
Gerrit Kouwenaar
Something falters, one has smoked too much, flees
coughing into the orchard, autumn
...
Gerrit Kouwenaar
Something falters, one has smoked too much, flees
coughing into the orchard, autumn
...
FAREWELL
Maurice Gilliams
Night unfolded itself to us and rules.
Hobos with somber shawms wander
along the sultry
...
Maurice Gilliams
Night unfolded itself to us and rules.
Hobos with somber shawms wander
along the sultry
...
FAREWELL AMONG THE STARS
Oksana Zabuzhko
It’s just that I’m myself, and no one else.
I too will die. And I won’t escape punishment
...
Oksana Zabuzhko
It’s just that I’m myself, and no one else.
I too will die. And I won’t escape punishment
...
FAREWELL SONG
Lucienne Stassaert
There is a song
that time
turns around
do you still know how
and now
...
Lucienne Stassaert
There is a song
that time
turns around
do you still know how
and now
...
FAREWELL TO IL DANIL
Armando Orozco Tovar
The pain of remembrance
will lull me to sleep
as the sea does the stone.
If
...
Armando Orozco Tovar
The pain of remembrance
will lull me to sleep
as the sea does the stone.
If
...
FASHION CRAZE
Ewa Lipska
We die more and more beautifully
in Gianni Versace’s collection.
Elegance is aesthetics’
...
Ewa Lipska
We die more and more beautifully
in Gianni Versace’s collection.
Elegance is aesthetics’
...
FAT PEOPLE
Luuk Gruwez
Fat people know everything about love,
up to the remotest corners of their body,
the
...
Luuk Gruwez
Fat people know everything about love,
up to the remotest corners of their body,
the
...
FATHER
Paolo Ruffilli
Powerful father
arbitrary rule
master who grasps
and holds up the threads
who moves and
...
Paolo Ruffilli
Powerful father
arbitrary rule
master who grasps
and holds up the threads
who moves and
...
FATHER
Eddy Van Vliet
Father. Undress yourself. While you still may.
Show me what time has scarred
since we
...
Eddy Van Vliet
Father. Undress yourself. While you still may.
Show me what time has scarred
since we
...
FATHER
Ariel Zinder
Clasp me again in your arms and steal my breath,
The sail of your chest against my lungs....
Ariel Zinder
Clasp me again in your arms and steal my breath,
The sail of your chest against my lungs.
FATHER AND MY BIRTHDAY
Rajendra Bhandari
Stretching wide his chest
my father readied the field, studded the boundary
with sal
...
Rajendra Bhandari
Stretching wide his chest
my father readied the field, studded the boundary
with sal
...
FATHER AND SON
Uwe Kolbe
Keeping the distance
and staying close together
with dangling arms.
The father the
...
Uwe Kolbe
Keeping the distance
and staying close together
with dangling arms.
The father the
...
FATHER'S SLEEP
William Cliff
my father often complained of aches and pains
he rubbed his back and yelled and swore
or
...
William Cliff
my father often complained of aches and pains
he rubbed his back and yelled and swore
or
...
FATHER’S BLUE & WHITE PORCELAIN
Yang Lian
a small jar of night a thousand frontiers carrying him
the
...
Yang Lian
a small jar of night a thousand frontiers carrying him
the
...
FATTY OR MATTE
Marion Poschmann
Animals are bored. Enormous dogs outside their kennels
guarding building rubble and ruins of
...
Marion Poschmann
Animals are bored. Enormous dogs outside their kennels
guarding building rubble and ruins of
...
FEAR
Andrea Cote
Mother,
gather for me the sound of the rain on grandfather’s roof
tell me about the night
...
Andrea Cote
Mother,
gather for me the sound of the rain on grandfather’s roof
tell me about the night
...
FEAR
Luís Quintais
Layer on layer on layer:
the submerged remnant of your life.
Now and then
some shift, some
...
Luís Quintais
Layer on layer on layer:
the submerged remnant of your life.
Now and then
some shift, some
...
FEAR OF WATER
Jan Lauwereyns
Fill up the bath and
the skin turns pale, sweat breaks out,
and something like wind blows
...
Jan Lauwereyns
Fill up the bath and
the skin turns pale, sweat breaks out,
and something like wind blows
...
FEAST
Tomaž Šalamun
By the way of all spheres,
on steep rocks overgrown with segments of color,
covered with
...
Tomaž Šalamun
By the way of all spheres,
on steep rocks overgrown with segments of color,
covered with
...
FEBRUARY 14, GOING TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MY FATHER
Yan Jun
We ate breakfast took medicine
fought the polluted air
We got up early waited
...
Yan Jun
We ate breakfast took medicine
fought the polluted air
We got up early waited
...
FEBRUARY 17
Yan Jun
Like all people separating we cry
like all old clothing the dust on old clothing
...
Yan Jun
Like all people separating we cry
like all old clothing the dust on old clothing
FEEDING TIME
Charles Ducal
Between sleeping and waking
in concrete made flesh
an early ear hears light approach
...
Charles Ducal
Between sleeping and waking
in concrete made flesh
an early ear hears light approach
...
FEELINGS AT WINDOWS
Monika Rinck
supplementary desire takes place when
ever desire itself adds that which
even fulfilment, if
...
Monika Rinck
supplementary desire takes place when
ever desire itself adds that which
even fulfilment, if
...
FENLAND
Marcel Beyer
Fenland, evidence, descent and breakage.
Deeper incisions, but we talk, among
nests, over
...
Marcel Beyer
Fenland, evidence, descent and breakage.
Deeper incisions, but we talk, among
nests, over
...
FEO
Bríd Ní Mhóráin
Why do you hesitate before the fall of night?
Isn’t there an end to autumn in sight...
Bríd Ní Mhóráin
Why do you hesitate before the fall of night?
Isn’t there an end to autumn in sight
FERTILITY LEXICON
Anat Levin
In my childhood nobody came to me. I was sealed and signed. Dr. Brosh examines my breasts. “I
...
Anat Levin
In my childhood nobody came to me. I was sealed and signed. Dr. Brosh examines my breasts. “I
...
FIDELIO
Maria Stepanova
The session begins, everything rustles,
They lead witnesses out and lead new ones in,...
Maria Stepanova
The session begins, everything rustles,
They lead witnesses out and lead new ones in,
FIELD
Ruth Lasters
Perhaps football really is the only goal,
of the subconscious and conscious too: two parts...
Ruth Lasters
Perhaps football really is the only goal,
of the subconscious and conscious too: two parts
FIELD
Mischa Andriessen
She was going to be angry, definitely.
You hurried, slowed, then
ran on some more, no
...
Mischa Andriessen
She was going to be angry, definitely.
You hurried, slowed, then
ran on some more, no
...
FIFTH
Jan Lauwereyns
The dog could not deny what it had found it was
snuffling sniffing out in a few days the dog
...
Jan Lauwereyns
The dog could not deny what it had found it was
snuffling sniffing out in a few days the dog
...
FIGMENT
Sophia Pandeya
since the tamarind surrendered
her wisdom and became
a toothless concentrate
...
Sophia Pandeya
since the tamarind surrendered
her wisdom and became
a toothless concentrate
...
FILTER JUGOSLAVIJA
Predrag Lucić
On the red box of Filter Jugoslavija
Produced by the Prilep Tobacco Factory
The new
...
Predrag Lucić
On the red box of Filter Jugoslavija
Produced by the Prilep Tobacco Factory
The new
...
FINAL CHORUS
Ramsey Nasr
it isn’t death that’s freezing you
it isn’t death that’s stifling you
it’s both of them
...
Ramsey Nasr
it isn’t death that’s freezing you
it isn’t death that’s stifling you
it’s both of them
...
FINAL ELEGY
Teixeira de Pascoaes
I sculpted as best I could my sorrow:
A black marble block that weighs on me
And bathes me in
...
Teixeira de Pascoaes
I sculpted as best I could my sorrow:
A black marble block that weighs on me
And bathes me in
...
FINAL WORDS
Eva Durán
Eva del Pilar Durán
knew nothing about remorse
not in the moistness of her body
nor
...
Eva Durán
Eva del Pilar Durán
knew nothing about remorse
not in the moistness of her body
nor
...
FINALE
Gerrit Komrij
My body slides against hers in the ooze.
Belly to belly. Mud our cling-film suit.
It
...
Gerrit Komrij
My body slides against hers in the ooze.
Belly to belly. Mud our cling-film suit.
It
...
FINDING FLOWERS
Pieter Boskma
Now I dreamt of you sleeping and dreaming,
beside me, in my bed, and of how it all was,...
Pieter Boskma
Now I dreamt of you sleeping and dreaming,
beside me, in my bed, and of how it all was,
FINE SKY
Bei Dao
Nocturnal horses gallop past over the streetlights
Sorrowful sound is omnipresent
I sit
...
Bei Dao
Nocturnal horses gallop past over the streetlights
Sorrowful sound is omnipresent
I sit
...
FINGER
Maud Vanhauwaert
I see a woman with a raised index finger. I ask ‘what are you pointing at’. She says
...
Maud Vanhauwaert
I see a woman with a raised index finger. I ask ‘what are you pointing at’. She says
...
FINGERPRINTS ON THE WINDOW
Herman De Coninck
I think that poetry is something like fingerprints
on the window behind which a child who
...
Herman De Coninck
I think that poetry is something like fingerprints
on the window behind which a child who
...
FIRE AND ENTRAILS
L.F. Rosen
A rampant fire now fills
your belly. It entered
with a caress. Downy almost.
A
...
L.F. Rosen
A rampant fire now fills
your belly. It entered
with a caress. Downy almost.
A
...
FIRE AND WATER
Joke van Leeuwen
The chairs are ankle-deep inside, drawers
filled with former lives are damaged, it’s raining
...
Joke van Leeuwen
The chairs are ankle-deep inside, drawers
filled with former lives are damaged, it’s raining
...
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Shang Qin
At noon when anger arose, I glared at the fire extinguisher on the wall.
A child came up to me
...
Shang Qin
At noon when anger arose, I glared at the fire extinguisher on the wall.
A child came up to me
...
FIRE WITHIN
Menno Wigman
Pictures, pictures – so clear and clandestine
I instantly grew stiff – each tree, the whole
...
Menno Wigman
Pictures, pictures – so clear and clandestine
I instantly grew stiff – each tree, the whole
...
FIREWORKS
Jan Lauwereyns
According to the astronomer standing there
with a mouthful of teeth — smart fellow —
there
...
Jan Lauwereyns
According to the astronomer standing there
with a mouthful of teeth — smart fellow —
there
...
FIRST
Kim Hyesoon
What I am most jealous of in the world, your first,
what you are most jealous of in this
...
Kim Hyesoon
What I am most jealous of in the world, your first,
what you are most jealous of in this
...
FIRST AID FOR THE INNOCENT
Runa Svetlikova
Since you’ve spoken and thrown my words back at me
all I can do is confess that we are
...
Runa Svetlikova
Since you’ve spoken and thrown my words back at me
all I can do is confess that we are
...
FIRST LETTER TO ONA
Gali-Dana Singer
You don’t even know what it is: to remember a river,
approach, force yourself to think:
...
Gali-Dana Singer
You don’t even know what it is: to remember a river,
approach, force yourself to think:
...
FIRST LOVE
Arjen Duinker
And in the belly of the boat
The story roams of a young woman
Who on one of the Canary
...
Arjen Duinker
And in the belly of the boat
The story roams of a young woman
Who on one of the Canary
...
FIRST SIGHT
Stefan Hertmans
She’s like a panther pausing
Because her prey appears.
Something in me rolls up
...
Stefan Hertmans
She’s like a panther pausing
Because her prey appears.
Something in me rolls up
...
FIRST STEPS
Stefan Hertmans
He ran into the street without a glance
and I, who becomes like him more and more,
thought he
...
Stefan Hertmans
He ran into the street without a glance
and I, who becomes like him more and more,
thought he
...
FIRST TIME
Nachoem M. Wijnberg
Saying you are what I have
because you will never again
have anything else.
...
Nachoem M. Wijnberg
Saying you are what I have
because you will never again
have anything else.
FISH
Lo Fu
Anyway, only a petal of the setting sun remains in his eyes
There’ll still be time tomorrow
...
Lo Fu
Anyway, only a petal of the setting sun remains in his eyes
There’ll still be time tomorrow
...
FISH BLOCK
Sergio Raimondi
Because of course even the flow of the fish in the water
well, more specifically: that sharp
...
Sergio Raimondi
Because of course even the flow of the fish in the water
well, more specifically: that sharp
...
FISH DOCTOR
Sheng Xing
one by one, they die
and all can I is scoop their dead little bodies out of the water
now, my
...
Sheng Xing
one by one, they die
and all can I is scoop their dead little bodies out of the water
now, my
...
FISH MOUTHS
Lennart Sjögren
Fish mouths darted out
extinct and not yet effeminate species
also appeared
...
Lennart Sjögren
Fish mouths darted out
extinct and not yet effeminate species
also appeared
FISHER OF SUNS
León Gil
Ah, my dear and hairless and headless and earless
Vincent Van Gogh
how the devil did it
...
León Gil
Ah, my dear and hairless and headless and earless
Vincent Van Gogh
how the devil did it
...
FIVE ALLEGORICAL SKETCHES
Rune Christiansen
The escalators down to the subway lead the shadows ambiguously home. In the absence of other gods,
...
Rune Christiansen
The escalators down to the subway lead the shadows ambiguously home. In the absence of other gods,
...
FIVE DAYS
Claudiu Komartin
Today I woke up knowing everything,
though I’d prefer anything to that:
to take,
...
Claudiu Komartin
Today I woke up knowing everything,
though I’d prefer anything to that:
to take,
...
FIVE FRAGMENTS FOR THE SADNESS OF GREAT FIGURE
Ahmed al-Shahawi
1
In the wide courtyard of our house
a child not even nine yet
tossed some
...
Ahmed al-Shahawi
1
In the wide courtyard of our house
a child not even nine yet
tossed some
...
FIVE ROSES
Enis Batur
I gathered five roses for you, My Love,
Apropos of nothing, five red roses, of blood,...
Enis Batur
I gathered five roses for you, My Love,
Apropos of nothing, five red roses, of blood,
FLAGS OF LOVE
Julius Chingono
Flags of love
Are roofs of houses from where smoke soars
Children crying, playing in the
...
Julius Chingono
Flags of love
Are roofs of houses from where smoke soars
Children crying, playing in the
...
FLAMING AIR
Saroop Dhruv
I breathe in the flaming air, my friends,
I strike the flint on stone.
Spiced, flavoured
...
Saroop Dhruv
I breathe in the flaming air, my friends,
I strike the flint on stone.
Spiced, flavoured
...
FLASHBACK JOURNAL
Aung Cheimt
Soon after birth,
As soon as I could think and touch,
The snow was light and
...
Aung Cheimt
Soon after birth,
As soon as I could think and touch,
The snow was light and
...
FLESH TINT
Dilip Chitre
Like a painting by Velazquez
A woman stands
Alone in the frame
Touched by the brush
...
Dilip Chitre
Like a painting by Velazquez
A woman stands
Alone in the frame
Touched by the brush
...
FLEXIBLE TIME
Harkaitz Cano
Time goes more slowly in a foreign city;
therefore escapes, therefore inadequate airline
...
Harkaitz Cano
Time goes more slowly in a foreign city;
therefore escapes, therefore inadequate airline
...
FLIGHT
Robin Ngangom
The warning disguised as a message
came before the village was up and about,
and when
...
Robin Ngangom
The warning disguised as a message
came before the village was up and about,
and when
...
FLIRT
Jacob Groot
At 10 o’clock I reported to the gates
of the promised land. At 12 o’clock the light
went
...
Jacob Groot
At 10 o’clock I reported to the gates
of the promised land. At 12 o’clock the light
went
...
FLOWER
Ruth Lasters
White flannels with which you wash your old father
harden in the night into envelopes for...
Ruth Lasters
White flannels with which you wash your old father
harden in the night into envelopes for
FLOWER OF SOLITUDE
Ruy Belo
We lived we conversed we resisted
we crossed paths on the street under the trees
we perhaps
...
Ruy Belo
We lived we conversed we resisted
we crossed paths on the street under the trees
we perhaps
...
FLOWERS AND OTHER NAMELESS SPECIES
Luís Quintais
Nothing in nature has a name.
As if it were a botanical garden
with only the vaguest
...
Luís Quintais
Nothing in nature has a name.
As if it were a botanical garden
with only the vaguest
...
FLUID PARENTS
L.F. Rosen
It rains on their insides.
The purple mountain ridges
of the heart and the red ravines...
L.F. Rosen
It rains on their insides.
The purple mountain ridges
of the heart and the red ravines
FLUTTERING CORRIDORS
Yair Hurwitz
1
I sat in front of the everyday curtain
as if before the curtain of the ark:
a
...
Yair Hurwitz
1
I sat in front of the everyday curtain
as if before the curtain of the ark:
a
...
FLYING ASSOCIATION
Zang Di
Between Celan and Amichai there is a Du Fu.
We should drill a well and draw him up....
Zang Di
Between Celan and Amichai there is a Du Fu.
We should drill a well and draw him up.
FLYING STONES
Dorta Jagić
where did you get that pebble in your belly you can fly with?
for that pebble I
...
Dorta Jagić
where did you get that pebble in your belly you can fly with?
for that pebble I
...
FOAM
Roberto Baronti Marchiò
If only I could live like this
foam of the waves,
I would leave the stone
to wear
...
Roberto Baronti Marchiò
If only I could live like this
foam of the waves,
I would leave the stone
to wear
...
FOG
Carlos de Oliveira
The city falling
house by house
from the sky down to the hills,
from top to bottom
...
Carlos de Oliveira
The city falling
house by house
from the sky down to the hills,
from top to bottom
...
FOLK SCENE
Ivan Malkovych
On a heap amidst thistles,
on coal, soggy from rains,
two angels dwell:
they wax each
...
Ivan Malkovych
On a heap amidst thistles,
on coal, soggy from rains,
two angels dwell:
they wax each
...
FOLK SONG
Tomaž Šalamun
Every true poet is a monster.
He destroys people and their speech.
His singing elevates
...
Tomaž Šalamun
Every true poet is a monster.
He destroys people and their speech.
His singing elevates
...
FOLLOWING THE MASSACRE OF THE ILLUSIONS
Volker Braun
Guevara under the march route with severed
Hands, „no more burrowing for him,“
When ideas
...
Volker Braun
Guevara under the march route with severed
Hands, „no more burrowing for him,“
When ideas
...
FOOLING THE KILLERS
Taha Muhammad Ali
Qasim,
I wonder now
where you are....
I haven’t forgotten you
after all these
...
Taha Muhammad Ali
Qasim,
I wonder now
where you are....
I haven’t forgotten you
after all these
...
FOOTPRINTS
Fredy Chicangana
We come from the water
and we arrive bathed by the sun at dawn
our Yanakuna hearts
...
Fredy Chicangana
We come from the water
and we arrive bathed by the sun at dawn
our Yanakuna hearts
...
FOOTSTEPS ALSO DIE
Amparo Osorio
The wind sculpts faces
and you who watch the grass
ignore now the traces
of all
...
Amparo Osorio
The wind sculpts faces
and you who watch the grass
ignore now the traces
of all
...
FOR A DYING POET
Roberto Baronti Marchiò
I have glimpsed her at times in the shrouds
in the shock videos of the news
in the line
...
Roberto Baronti Marchiò
I have glimpsed her at times in the shrouds
in the shock videos of the news
in the line
...
FOR A LONELY WOMAN
Jeroen Theunissen
If all living beings are related,
for example the herring and the amoeba,
why then are
...
Jeroen Theunissen
If all living beings are related,
for example the herring and the amoeba,
why then are
...
FOR A MIRACLE
Manushya Puthiran
I waited for a miracle
It didn’t happen
The omens say
there will be no more
...
Manushya Puthiran
I waited for a miracle
It didn’t happen
The omens say
there will be no more
...
FOR A STORY ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER
Jorge Bustamante García
All her children have died
The old man who was her husband has died too
The landscape
...
Jorge Bustamante García
All her children have died
The old man who was her husband has died too
The landscape
...
FOR BETTINA, A TUESDAY PROLOGUE
Dambudzo Marechera
From nightsky’s black earth
Rare lilies, like stars,
Flower into life, yours and
...
Dambudzo Marechera
From nightsky’s black earth
Rare lilies, like stars,
Flower into life, yours and
...
FOR BREAKFAST
Inuo Taguchi
In each and every grain of this brown rice
a god is seated auspiciously and
enjoys
...
Inuo Taguchi
In each and every grain of this brown rice
a god is seated auspiciously and
enjoys
...
FOR HERMAN GORTER
Frank Keizer
Dear Gorter I love you
I think you’re so special
I’d like to say it with
...
Frank Keizer
Dear Gorter I love you
I think you’re so special
I’d like to say it with
...
FOR JOÃO CABRAL DE MELO NETO
Arjen Duinker
A dog comes down the road,
Man with broom talks with man with lasso,
No reproach, the dog
...
Arjen Duinker
A dog comes down the road,
Man with broom talks with man with lasso,
No reproach, the dog
...
FOR THE FILMS OF TRẦN ANH HÙNG
Geet Chaturvedi
There exists a space outside of home which you visit as often as home
You are in
...
Geet Chaturvedi
There exists a space outside of home which you visit as often as home
You are in
...
FOR THE NEXT BIRTH
Yumlembam Ibomcha Singh
In the next birth
I shall take birth as a bastard.
You should also take birth as one....
Yumlembam Ibomcha Singh
In the next birth
I shall take birth as a bastard.
You should also take birth as one.
FOR THE READER’S EAR
José Asunción Silva
No, that was not passion,
It was the vague tenderness
Inspired by a sickly child,...
José Asunción Silva
No, that was not passion,
It was the vague tenderness
Inspired by a sickly child,
FOR THE VEGETARIAN
Inuo Taguchi
John Lennon died, you know.
“That must have been because of unpolished rice and
...
Inuo Taguchi
John Lennon died, you know.
“That must have been because of unpolished rice and
...
FOR UMASHANKAR JOSHI
Prabodh Parikh
You gave us a pair of eyes
you also made them moist
you made the earth overflow with your
...
Prabodh Parikh
You gave us a pair of eyes
you also made them moist
you made the earth overflow with your
...
FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND
Bongekile Joyce Mbanjwa
To be a jacket
To be a slave
To be a stepladder
To be forsaken
For you to
...
Bongekile Joyce Mbanjwa
To be a jacket
To be a slave
To be a stepladder
To be forsaken
For you to
...
FORECASTS OF JULIA AND SYLVIA
Hannah van Binsbergen
While I was still a distant star
eye to eye with the Earth, in those wonder years
I
...
Hannah van Binsbergen
While I was still a distant star
eye to eye with the Earth, in those wonder years
I
...
FOREFATHERS, DOWNSTAIRS NEIGHBOURS
Mustafa Stitou
Some forefathers, we now know, dreamed God
and from this our world of finite things came
...
Mustafa Stitou
Some forefathers, we now know, dreamed God
and from this our world of finite things came
...
FORESIGHT
Titos Patríkios
Whatever I sought was given me
what was given me I squandered
or my creditors took it
...
Titos Patríkios
Whatever I sought was given me
what was given me I squandered
or my creditors took it
...
FOREST
Anka Zagar
I write forest and the forest comes to being
I go I must go to the forest to fetch wood
it
...
Anka Zagar
I write forest and the forest comes to being
I go I must go to the forest to fetch wood
it
...
FOREST
Sitanshu Yashaschandra
The forest is afire and slow is the flow of my song.
Birds living atop tall ebony
...
Sitanshu Yashaschandra
The forest is afire and slow is the flow of my song.
Birds living atop tall ebony
...
FOREST
Philippe Beck
Little girl in red is loved by people
who see her.
Fiery velvet is a family
gift....
Philippe Beck
Little girl in red is loved by people
who see her.
Fiery velvet is a family
gift.
FOREST – 1987
Chandrakanta Murasingh
The fragrance of flowery garlands
Haunted the seven hills.
Have they blossomed this time?
...
Chandrakanta Murasingh
The fragrance of flowery garlands
Haunted the seven hills.
Have they blossomed this time?
...
FOREVER ASTRAY
Abdel-ilah Salhi
I have a drink before take-off.
I see no one but you in this huge international airport,...
Abdel-ilah Salhi
I have a drink before take-off.
I see no one but you in this huge international airport,
FORGETTING
Fatima Zahra Bennis
I recall only the cup that thirsted for me
The impassioned whispering
The clamorous
...
Fatima Zahra Bennis
I recall only the cup that thirsted for me
The impassioned whispering
The clamorous
...
FORGETTING HAPPENS
Jan Lauwereyns
What a bitter day
it has kept being
the wind keeps howling
back there in
...
Jan Lauwereyns
What a bitter day
it has kept being
the wind keeps howling
back there in
...
FORGETTING THE GHOSTS
Nora Gomringer
when I left
I asked them to come with me
I held the door open and lowered my gaze...
Nora Gomringer
when I left
I asked them to come with me
I held the door open and lowered my gaze
FORGOTTEN FIELD
Remco Campert
If I take good care of myself
that’s what she asks me in the café
where I’m sipping my
...
Remco Campert
If I take good care of myself
that’s what she asks me in the café
where I’m sipping my
...
FORSAKEN LOVE
Mazisi Kunene
May you cease lingering like a bad dream
The sun in our love has fully eclipsed and is now...
Mazisi Kunene
May you cease lingering like a bad dream
The sun in our love has fully eclipsed and is now
FORTRESS
Gustavo Adolfo Garcés
To stop you from passing
I would have to raise
the drawbridge
if of course
...
Gustavo Adolfo Garcés
To stop you from passing
I would have to raise
the drawbridge
if of course
...
FOUNTAIN
Herberto Helder
II
On the mother's mad smiles the raindrops
patter down. On their beloved
mad faces
...
Herberto Helder
II
On the mother's mad smiles the raindrops
patter down. On their beloved
mad faces
...
FOUR HOURS
Saeed Banaie
Have we just four hours
For the adverb to rebel against the verb?
Has London slept
...
Saeed Banaie
Have we just four hours
For the adverb to rebel against the verb?
Has London slept
...
FOUR OF HER MYSTERIES AND A FEW MORE
Hrvoje Pejakovic
when she watches she does not see
when she delivers she does not give birth
when she strokes
...
Hrvoje Pejakovic
when she watches she does not see
when she delivers she does not give birth
when she strokes
...
FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING
Sharron Hass
At four in the morning poets, lovers and madmen suspect
that the life of the mirror is the mold
...
Sharron Hass
At four in the morning poets, lovers and madmen suspect
that the life of the mirror is the mold
...
FRACTAL
Esther Jansma
In all of its parts a rose is rose
in every petal it is complete
likewise each millimetre
...
Esther Jansma
In all of its parts a rose is rose
in every petal it is complete
likewise each millimetre
...
FRAGMENT
Kazue Shinkawa
Our neighbor’s wife
has given birth to a lovely baby girl.
Why can’t you bear a child?...
Kazue Shinkawa
Our neighbor’s wife
has given birth to a lovely baby girl.
Why can’t you bear a child?
FRAGMENT TAKEN FROM ‘AL-BUHTURI’S WOLF’
Mohamed Boudouik
A woman in the eye of the rhinoceros
On a forsaken boat
Picking up her second half
that
...
Mohamed Boudouik
A woman in the eye of the rhinoceros
On a forsaken boat
Picking up her second half
that
...
FRAGMENTS OF A LETTER
Song Lin
Forgive me for always mentioning winter and river in one breath
For talking about the
...
Song Lin
Forgive me for always mentioning winter and river in one breath
For talking about the
...
FRANSUM CHAPEL
C.O. Jellema
Is god still there, tiny sarcophagus
of faith, as empty
as the Doric temples of
...
C.O. Jellema
Is god still there, tiny sarcophagus
of faith, as empty
as the Doric temples of
...
FREE
Marije Langelaar
It is dark here, avalanche, wave, cave.
For a couple of weeks I have moved myself with the...
Marije Langelaar
It is dark here, avalanche, wave, cave.
For a couple of weeks I have moved myself with the
FREE ADMISSION
Navit Barel
We ate apples dipped in honey. Free admission
to the sweet and happy years. Mira from
...
Navit Barel
We ate apples dipped in honey. Free admission
to the sweet and happy years. Mira from
...
FREESIAS
José Tolentino Mendonça
Freesias are flowers that smell like tea
and she, at age thirty-seven, preferred them...
José Tolentino Mendonça
Freesias are flowers that smell like tea
and she, at age thirty-seven, preferred them
FRESHWATER FISH
Giampiero Neri
Lavarello is the Lombard name for a fish
that lives at the lake bottom. It has a tiny head,...
Giampiero Neri
Lavarello is the Lombard name for a fish
that lives at the lake bottom. It has a tiny head,
FRICATIVE
Charlotte Van den Broeck
One step to the left
and you fall off the page, lie there
out of sight, out of shot of
...
Charlotte Van den Broeck
One step to the left
and you fall off the page, lie there
out of sight, out of shot of
...
FRIDAY NIGHT
Vonani Bila
Hey, dude, I'm telling you, young fellow;
When it’s spine-chilly cold,
Hey you, put
...
Vonani Bila
Hey, dude, I'm telling you, young fellow;
When it’s spine-chilly cold,
Hey you, put
...
FRIDAY'S FRUIT
Miguel Iriarte
With the cry interrupting the progress of the afternoon
With the voice singing the lottery of
...
Miguel Iriarte
With the cry interrupting the progress of the afternoon
With the voice singing the lottery of
...
FRIENDS
José Tolentino Mendonça
We look at those strangers
whom we love and who love us
and they’re always adolescents
...
José Tolentino Mendonça
We look at those strangers
whom we love and who love us
and they’re always adolescents
...
FROG
Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin
A meditating frog am I sitting silently sucking syllables muddily through
...
Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin
A meditating frog am I sitting silently sucking syllables muddily through
...
FROM A PAPER BALCONY
Fatima Zahra Bennis
From a paper balcony
I view my whirlwinds
I look but understand nothing
A life is
...
Fatima Zahra Bennis
From a paper balcony
I view my whirlwinds
I look but understand nothing
A life is
...
FROM ... TO ...
Jerry Zondo
From bravery to cowardice, so quickly
From a force of arms, a sharp spear
Long
...
Jerry Zondo
From bravery to cowardice, so quickly
From a force of arms, a sharp spear
Long
...
FROM 12.15 TO 13.00 O’CLOCK
Anne Vegter
Today there was – during lunch break’s break – someone who wanted to know...
Anne Vegter
Today there was – during lunch break’s break – someone who wanted to know
FROM PROMETEIDA
Fernando Rendón
Delegates of the centuries arranged to meet around the ruined table, and at cards – with
...
Fernando Rendón
Delegates of the centuries arranged to meet around the ruined table, and at cards – with
...
FROM AIR TO LAND
Gloria Posada
A fluttering restores the air
Birds return
and in the night
make a dream out of...
Gloria Posada
A fluttering restores the air
Birds return
and in the night
make a dream out of
FROM DELFT
Anna Enquist
If light falls here, it's under a sky
of lead, false glow, late in the day.
...
Anna Enquist
If light falls here, it's under a sky
of lead, false glow, late in the day.
FROM FISHING-VILLAGE TO METROPOLIS
C.B. Vaandrager
‘... and said that here romanticism
had been bombed away
to make room for a new
...
C.B. Vaandrager
‘... and said that here romanticism
had been bombed away
to make room for a new
...
FROM HOLLAND TO SPAIN
Elke Erb
You see yourself at a distance when you read about Holland. You could be anybody. Whoever reads
...
Elke Erb
You see yourself at a distance when you read about Holland. You could be anybody. Whoever reads
...
FROM LILITH
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
Lilith is a vision of light and pixels,
a picture; am I lovely at first sight
with legs
...
Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
Lilith is a vision of light and pixels,
a picture; am I lovely at first sight
with legs
...
FROM THE CASE OF BONES
Eugenijus Ališanka
for six hundred years the bones ached in the middle ages they were stretched according to the
...
Eugenijus Ališanka
for six hundred years the bones ached in the middle ages they were stretched according to the
...
FROM THE COUNTRY
Anne Vegter
I liked to purchase cheese.
I bought a cheese at D., cheese-village D.
Then
...
Anne Vegter
I liked to purchase cheese.
I bought a cheese at D., cheese-village D.
Then
...
FROM THE GARDEN
José Zuleta Ortiz
It climbs down a thread . . .
Up in the air
it knits transparency,
it
...
José Zuleta Ortiz
It climbs down a thread . . .
Up in the air
it knits transparency,
it
...
FROM THE INNER SIDE OF THE LIPS
Anka Zagar
oil. die and. Let
peace flow to your lips
may I
no longer be on
...
Anka Zagar
oil. die and. Let
peace flow to your lips
may I
no longer be on
...
FROM THE LAKE, LOVE
Banira Giri
Far somewhere far, stunning Manasarovar
on the far side of a mountain range
beneath a
...
Banira Giri
Far somewhere far, stunning Manasarovar
on the far side of a mountain range
beneath a
...
FROM THE MARKET
Rajendra Bhandari
Forests of people, caves of faces
adrift on the sea, the lonely ships of the mind...
Rajendra Bhandari
Forests of people, caves of faces
adrift on the sea, the lonely ships of the mind
FROM THE NAKED SURGEON
Michael Hartnett
V
In Hammer Glen there’s blood
in milk and a goose complains
on an empty
...
Michael Hartnett
V
In Hammer Glen there’s blood
in milk and a goose complains
on an empty
...
FROM THE NEW WORLD
Martin Reints
The folding screen salesman is sitting on a mat
in front of a movable partition
looking
...
Martin Reints
The folding screen salesman is sitting on a mat
in front of a movable partition
looking
...
FROM THE PODIUM
Gaston Burssens
Roseyellow and rosered
if you see that the clouds are
on the western horizon
ashgray
...
Gaston Burssens
Roseyellow and rosered
if you see that the clouds are
on the western horizon
ashgray
...
FROM THE POINT THAT WAS MADE ALREADY
Hannah van Binsbergen
A fortuitous conversation with a police officer
could proceed as follows:
...
Hannah van Binsbergen
A fortuitous conversation with a police officer
could proceed as follows:
FROM THE RECORDS ACCORDING TO HOKUSAI
Esther Kinsky
Shortly before break
of day the servants gathered
and took up the sedan-chairs....
Esther Kinsky
Shortly before break
of day the servants gathered
and took up the sedan-chairs.
FROM THE ROAD TO VÄSTERÅS 13
Elke de Rijcke
the first part of the road was segmented.
we had to go down into a supermarket...
Elke de Rijcke
the first part of the road was segmented.
we had to go down into a supermarket
FROM THE ROAD TO VÄSTERÅS 14
Elke de Rijcke
to the extent that I observed that my head was on its productic neck
but severed from the
...
Elke de Rijcke
to the extent that I observed that my head was on its productic neck
but severed from the
...
FROM THE ROAD TO VÄSTERÅS 17
Elke de Rijcke
where was I headed to now?
by which hand and what means had I been unchained from the
...
Elke de Rijcke
where was I headed to now?
by which hand and what means had I been unchained from the
...
FROM THE ROAD TO VÄSTERÅS 18
Elke de Rijcke
as to my orientation in time I became more and more lost.
fastened to a stretch where
...
Elke de Rijcke
as to my orientation in time I became more and more lost.
fastened to a stretch where
...
FROM THE SAME PLACE
Giampiero Neri
As the river water moves
near the banks against the flow
spreads among grass blades...
Giampiero Neri
As the river water moves
near the banks against the flow
spreads among grass blades
FROM THE SCHOOL OF THE RENOWNED PHILOSOPHER
Constantine Cavafy
For two years he studied with Ammonios Sakkas,
but he was bored by both philosophy and
...
Constantine Cavafy
For two years he studied with Ammonios Sakkas,
but he was bored by both philosophy and
...
FROM THE TRANSIENT
Dirk van Bastelaere
Heart, I can consider you in generous terms
of imagery to prove your
...
Dirk van Bastelaere
Heart, I can consider you in generous terms
of imagery to prove your
...
FROM THE WASTELANDS
Luís Miguel Nava
Grass has begun sprouting between my bones.
Perhaps in the wastelands of the mind
that
...
Luís Miguel Nava
Grass has begun sprouting between my bones.
Perhaps in the wastelands of the mind
that
...
FROM THE WATER’S EDGE
Hu Xudong
There’s no telling where this stream of water begins or where
it winds up after it
...
Hu Xudong
There’s no telling where this stream of water begins or where
it winds up after it
...
FROM TIME TO TIME
Piedad Bonnet
My mother likes to go to this café with sober lamps,
to order vanilla cookies,
drink
...
Piedad Bonnet
My mother likes to go to this café with sober lamps,
to order vanilla cookies,
drink
...
FROM YEAR TO YEAR
Natan Zach
From year to year it grows only more subtle.
It’ll be so subtle in the end –
she
...
Natan Zach
From year to year it grows only more subtle.
It’ll be so subtle in the end –
she
...
FROM "DOUBLE POKER"
Yang Li
11. I'll Add in an Old Poem Here one night I was hurrying back home suddenly someone blocked my
...
Yang Li
11. I'll Add in an Old Poem Here one night I was hurrying back home suddenly someone blocked my
...
FROM "INDIA"
I
Yuri Andrukhovych
India begins with dreams about setting out
on an eastbound journey. These dreams have plots,
...
I
Yuri Andrukhovych
India begins with dreams about setting out
on an eastbound journey. These dreams have plots,
...
FROM "WRITTEN FOR MY BLOG": 20
Yang Li
isn’t it a bit stupid one country winning so many gold medals? would the Games go on if one country
...
Yang Li
isn’t it a bit stupid one country winning so many gold medals? would the Games go on if one country
...
FROM "WRITTEN FOR MY BLOG": 24
Yang Li
lying in bed just about to fall asleep I hear someone crying in the living room it sounds like a
...
Yang Li
lying in bed just about to fall asleep I hear someone crying in the living room it sounds like a
...
FROM "WRITTEN FOR MY BLOG": 30
Yang Li
the courtyard gate wasn’t shut it stood open I stand before it asking: is there anyone home? is
...
Yang Li
the courtyard gate wasn’t shut it stood open I stand before it asking: is there anyone home? is
...
FROM "WRITTEN FOR MY BLOG": 5
Yang Li
an Arab couple live opposite where I live every day, the man goes out at the same time the woman
...
Yang Li
an Arab couple live opposite where I live every day, the man goes out at the same time the woman
...
FROM 'PRAYERS OF ATONEMENT'
Lea Goldberg
You came to me to open my eyes,
your body a glance a window a mirror,
you arrived
...
Lea Goldberg
You came to me to open my eyes,
your body a glance a window a mirror,
you arrived
...
FROM 'SUMMER’S SIDE', NO. 4
Jan Baeke
How to stay ahead of the heat?
Sweat, sit still, think of one’s duty
to keep
...
Jan Baeke
How to stay ahead of the heat?
Sweat, sit still, think of one’s duty
to keep
...
FROM ‘I MADE HIM UP’, NO. 11
Jan Baeke
I can put everything in different places.
Put down the table where the light doesn’t reach
...
Jan Baeke
I can put everything in different places.
Put down the table where the light doesn’t reach
...
FROM ‘I MADE HIM UP’, NO. 4
Jan Baeke
On the road as always, read my hand
bought a canary
saw you.
Looked round
...
Jan Baeke
On the road as always, read my hand
bought a canary
saw you.
Looked round
...
FROM ‘NO OTHER WAY’, NO. 10
Jan Baeke
Motionless. On the other hand
the body turned over along a line of trees
skipping
...
Jan Baeke
Motionless. On the other hand
the body turned over along a line of trees
skipping
...
FROM ‘THE DOGS’, NO. 8
Jan Baeke
Words like coffee, sun and car
don’t wear as easily in use
as beauty, restlessness and
...
Jan Baeke
Words like coffee, sun and car
don’t wear as easily in use
as beauty, restlessness and
...
FROM: THE HEIGHTS OF MACHU PICCHU
Pablo Neruda
I
From air to air, as through an empty net, I made my way between streets and...
Pablo Neruda
I
From air to air, as through an empty net, I made my way between streets and
FROST OVER IRELAND
Bríd Ní Mhóráin
Roses hang their withered heads
Beneath the white cap of Christmas frost.
The ones
...
Bríd Ní Mhóráin
Roses hang their withered heads
Beneath the white cap of Christmas frost.
The ones
...
FROTHY
Marion Poschmann
Forest frothing up. Again and again
forest frothing up, dissipating. Sitting on park
...
Marion Poschmann
Forest frothing up. Again and again
forest frothing up, dissipating. Sitting on park
...
FRUIT
Eugénio de Andrade
Peaches, pears, oranges,
strawberries, cherries, figs,
apples, melon, honey dew,
oh, music
...
Eugénio de Andrade
Peaches, pears, oranges,
strawberries, cherries, figs,
apples, melon, honey dew,
oh, music
...
FRUIT, AS IT IS
Anitha Thampi
She who paints
draws jackfruits
on the branches of the jackfruit tree
and on the
...
Anitha Thampi
She who paints
draws jackfruits
on the branches of the jackfruit tree
and on the
...
FRUITS OF LIGHT
Makoto Ooka
The hemispheres of your chest
rest on my hands far off on a distant sea
So heavy
...
Makoto Ooka
The hemispheres of your chest
rest on my hands far off on a distant sea
So heavy
...
FUKUSHIMA
Nazih Abou Afach
1. Tsunami
Wave after wave, wave upon wave.
The dead are not seen and their screams
...
Nazih Abou Afach
1. Tsunami
Wave after wave, wave upon wave.
The dead are not seen and their screams
...
FULGET CRUCIS MYSTERIUM
Paulo Teixeira
These are the house’s cards. The hoisted sails
depart over the vast shield of waters,
writing
...
Paulo Teixeira
These are the house’s cards. The hoisted sails
depart over the vast shield of waters,
writing
...
FULL HARVEST
Piotr Sommer
And it seemed it was time for us to die
somehow right now, this afternoon, but the apples...
Piotr Sommer
And it seemed it was time for us to die
somehow right now, this afternoon, but the apples
FURIES
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
Banished from sin and the sacred
Now they inhabit the humble intimacy
Of daily life. They
...
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
Banished from sin and the sacred
Now they inhabit the humble intimacy
Of daily life. They
...
FURS
Dan Pagis
A large, carved closet, dimness, the smell of naphthalene and light perfume. Mother’s furs doze in
...
Dan Pagis
A large, carved closet, dimness, the smell of naphthalene and light perfume. Mother’s furs doze in
...
FURTHER UP THE PATH
Daniel Oz
The Cat’s Dream
In the cat’s dream, the gnawed fishbone regrew flesh
...
Daniel Oz
The Cat’s Dream
In the cat’s dream, the gnawed fishbone regrew flesh
...
FUSION KITSCH
Hsia Yü (Xia Yu)
When did it all begin
This bucolic and pan-incestuous atmosphere
Was it not always there
...
Hsia Yü (Xia Yu)
When did it all begin
This bucolic and pan-incestuous atmosphere
Was it not always there
...
FUTURE
Porfirio Barba Jacob
Do say when I die… (and may the day be far)
That haughty and disdainful, prodigal and
...
Porfirio Barba Jacob
Do say when I die… (and may the day be far)
That haughty and disdainful, prodigal and
...
POET
Raymond Antrobus
Emily Hasler Raymond Antrobus’s poetry has charmed and chimed with readers and audiences …
POET
Phoebe Power
Emily Hasler Phoebe Power’s poetry has a kaleidoscopic quality. Her work combines image, …
ARTICLE
50th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam
This year, the Poetry International Festival Rotterdam turns 50! The milestone makes …
• recently added• original language
