Politics on a small scale

She grabs and cuts and loves to slash 
with glee and rash, 
acts most offended when apprehended. 
Whoever stops her is subliminally called 
a criminal.
Withdrawing tactically threatening to resign 
she's showering a deceptive weakening 
hope 
on some 
while feeding fear of loss in everyone,
as she is sorely needed: a perpetual guard 
against the evil-minded unknown 
hordes. 

2008-10-21

Es wartete

Da war das Licht aus 
sie schloss die Tür
ihre Schritte schwanden.
Es wartete 
bis es einschlief, als es erwachte
war sie nicht da.
Es wartete ungläubig
nein: sicher
dass sie zurückkäme.
Der Tag brummte, Großmutter lärmte 
fröhlich
und ihr Kerl erst.
Es tat weh, es glaubte
es wartete
es war unmöglich
weil sie sich nicht verabschiedet hatte.

20. 9. 2012

Sirens, no legend

Feeling too weak 
ten years
I didn't look at any woman
until this spring I started noticing 
eyes gazing 
from behind counters 
or battlements of husbands 
and condominiums.

When going home one night,
I heard mosquitos buzz
they heard me moaning:
What do you want from me? 

A monk's life
is more economical on blood.

2010-06-06

Promises

I asked for help
a nice man came 
I asked him for help with inadequate sounds
he told me grandly what's wrong with me 
while it was nothing what I thought
I smiled at him, he promised help

Then nothing happened

2013-06-16

The bright appraisers

On a hot day four men came into my house,
jeering at my new carpet in the hall, chucklingly
trampling up the rickety staircase, disdainfully 
walking over the great room, ticking off  "high 
ceilings which we don't need", boredly staring 
around the attic (later in their report declaring 
the entirely unexamined roofing beyond repair), 
not even bothering to enter my pretty room;
good-humoredly stepping out the front door, 
explaining they would, graciously, not subtract 
demolition cost from plot value because
that would leave me with a negative number, 
responding to my dumbfounded query whether 
they had, then, found the whole structure to be 
unsound with, amidst laughter, the hilarious 
statement that "we can't look into the walls!"

6. July / 1. November 2009