[rats / rotter]

no pond no lotus a guess suggests we're rats


ingen dam ingen lotus et gæt antyder vi er rotter

[North wind / nordenvinden]

this
is not
it

the North wind says

I cuddle
my
darkness





dette
er ikke
det

siger nordenvinden

jeg aer
mit
mørke

[upper lip / overlæbe]

it's not a building of fish the moist that sits on the upper lip

det er ikke en bygning af fisk fugten der sidder på overlæben

Multiverse launching

A new haiku publication!!! Click on the "Multiverse" tab to read.

[just kidding / driller kun]

just
kidding

you're
not

alive -

morning rain



driller
kun

du
lever

ikke -

morgenregn

[12 bar blues / 12 takters blues]

added to the periodic table the 12 bar blues

lagt til den periodiske tabel 12 takters blues

[decaf / koffeinfri]

waning moon I rattle my keys to scare off the decaf

aftagende måne jeg rasler med mine nøgler for at skræmme den koffeinfri

[morgenfødder / morning feet]

lavet af vand og noget mine morgenfødder

built from water n stuff my morning feet

[purple eye / purpurøje]

this my itching core

I paint a purple eye

on my blues

denne min kløende kerne

jeg maler et purpurøje

på min blues

[low heroes lodger]

low heroes lodger some sequences stick in the smoke

low heroes lodger et par sekvenser sidder fast i røgen

[evaporate / fordampe]

a brook or jackdaws I could easily evaporate

en bæk eller alliker jeg kunne sagtens fordampe

[winter rain / vinterregn]

winter rain -
in a trail of honey and acid
I move backwards


vinterregn -
i et spor af honning og syre
går jeg baglæns

[cement / cement]

...

a nothingness all leaves in this forest exactly alike

en intethed alle blade i denne skov fuldstændig ens

*

a new lake not one wave unlike another

en ny sø ikke en eneste bølge til at kende fra en anden

*

hiding their faces well snowflakes

de skjuler deres ansigter godt snefuggene

*

white desert every icecrystal supposedly different

hvid ørken hver iskrystal skulle være forskellig

*

is this a cult? every signature could be anothers

er det her en kult? enhver signatur kunne være en andens


*

easy now it's the same sun rising daily

rolig nu det er den samme sol der står op hver dag


*


a leaden sky just one cloud above my head


en blytung himmel kun én sky over mit hoved



*



one note samba on Ipanema beach it works


one note samba på stranden i Ipanema virker det



*



look closely one photon is the same as another


se ordentligt efter en photon er den samme som en anden

...

[ | ]

la nuit Chinoise ou Americane in a severed head no truth

la nuit Chinoise ou Americane i et afhugget hoved ingen sandhed

--

half listened half watched a documentary in French about Hergés research for "The Blue Lotus", a Tin Tin adventure ...

[Finnish / finsk]

caught by a satellite dish the storm is entirely Finnish

fanget af en parabol er stormen helt og holdent finsk

[localized pain / lokaliseret smerte]

localized pain a day of order and mist

lokaliseret smerte en dag med orden og dis

[orchids / orkideer]

drooping orchids in the secret life of November light

hængende orkideer i novemberlysets hemmelige liv

[lacewing / guldøje]

from the backside of summer awakening lacewings

fra sommerens bagside vågnende guldøjer

[beer can / øldåse]

yesterday at the station

a beer can rolling in the wind

I thought of mercy

i går på stationen

rullede en øldåse for vinden

jeg tænkte på nåde

[defoliation / løvfald]

shifting the weight from one foot to the other defoliation

skifter vægten fra den ene fod til den anden løvfald

[dusk / tusmørke]

pumping my bike as dusk falls weallliveinayellowsubmarine

pumper min cykel mens tusmørket falder weallliveinayellowsubmarine

[kire - graphic haiku / grafisk haiku]

[lark's song / lærkesang]

lark's song -
in an old landscape
I part my hair to the left


lærkesang -
i et gammelt landskab
laver jeg skilning i venstre side

[a little news / en smule nyt]

Been dabbling a little with haibun lately. They're on "3ournals and frags"

Har rodet lidt med haibun på det sidste. De er på "3ournals and frags"

[all souls' day / alle sjæles dag]

all souls' day

I practice compassion

on half an apple

alle sjæles dag

jeg øver mig i medfølelse

på et halvt æble

[half the trees / halvdelen af tæerne]

half the trees naked what is repeated is repeated

halvdelen af træerne nøgne hvad der gentages gentages

[slow / langsomt]

as slow as my fingers touching the wind

så langsomt som mine fingre der rører vinden

[Time / Tiden]

it is like sand I laugh and pour water on Time

den er som sand ler jeg og hælder vand på Tiden

[aurora]

this could be painless aurora and glass-head

dette kunne være smertefrit aurora og glashoved

[bleak future / dyster fremtid]

yea the bleak future will come I eat penutbutterbananasandwich

ja ja den dystre fremtid vil komme jeg spiser jordnøddesmørbananmellemmad

[cat's hairs / kattehår]

messy table my eyes wander from cat's hairs to the North Star

rodet bord mine øjne vandrer fra kattehår til Nordstjernen

[sun sets / solen går ned]

another jug of water the sun sets as it should


endnu en kande vand solen går ned som den skal

[a way in / en vej ind]

it's a way in fol lowth elastbut terfly's flight

en vej ind fø lgde n sids teso mmer ful gsflugt

[dbl. haiga]

only a breath away October wind

---

kun et åndedrag væk oktobervinden

---

and a couple of October ku's:

playing my mnemonica the autumn wind

spiller på min mnemonika efterårsvinden

*

peek-a-boo October sun

borte-borte-tit-tit oktobersol

[1000]

my genom and a 1000 smiles rock wave surfing

 
min genmasse og 1000 smil klippebølgeridt

[... and monostichs again / og enlinjehaiku igen]

swimming with plastic fish two stones ahead

svømmer med plastikfisk to sten foran

*

I would have loved you porcupine horizon

jeg vill have elsket dig pindsvinehorisont

[bossa-nova]

wearing clouds

a dancing god plays

a lazy bossa-nova

klædt i skyer

spiller en dansende gud

en doven bossa-nova

[sour apple / surt æble]

another sour apple -

I resort to the tactics

of the scorched mind

endnu et surt æble -

jeg tyr til det brændte sinds taktik

--

this is an example of how the two languages may result in a difference in the form of the haiku. I try to use Danish as close to the spoken language as possible, so breaking up the second line would seem awkward.

[head full of butterflies / hovedet fuld af simmerfugle]

[ and monistich / og 1-linje haiku]

a cloud of skin cells I travel this day aone

en sky a hudceller jeg rejser alene gennem dagen

*

in my veins babbling ancestors each with their own will

i mine årer snakkende forfædre hver med deres egen vilje

*

need a haircut the wind picks up from West

trænger til at blive klippet vinden tager til fra vest

*

neck pains the trees take over where the ocean left off

nakkesmerter træerne tager over hvor havet slap

*

5 nanometers into the coffee a mermaid and an iron curtain

5 nanometer inde i kaffen en havfrue og et jerntæppe

*

fall gradually exposing the church no mail on Mondays

efteråret afslører gradvist kirken ingen post om mandagen

*

swelling up in my mouth the word autumn

det svulmer op i munden ordet efterår

*

now able to have morning hair trees sigh in October

kan nu have morgenhår træer sukker i oktober

*

turning my head while the Earth turns two faces in one

drejer mit hoved mens Jorden drejer to ansigter i eet

*

tis not about photos I select shape from dust to dust

det handler ikke om fotografier jeg vælger form fra støv til støv

*

[roaring universe / brølende univers]

roaring universe -
I fight to liberate
a pair of bicycle lights


brølende univers -
jeg kæmper for at befri
et par cykellygter

[12 bar blues / 12 takters blues]

last night in September
added to the periodic table
the 12 bar blues


sidste nat i september
lagt til den periodiske tabel
12 takters blues

[Misericordia]

running through metals Misericordia and V2 Schneider


i løb gennem metaller Misericordia og V2 Schneider

Interview

I was interviewed by and Indian magazine about being a haijin: http://okiedoks.com/celebrity-interviews-celebrity-of-the-month---haiku-poet-johannes-s-h-bjerg-268.aspx

[monostich]

dancing photones a little tired I age on

dansende fotoner en smule træt i fortsat aldring

[haiga]

---

is this it?

an imaginary bridge

we agree to cross

er det dét?

vi enes om a krydse

en indbildt bro

[singing eels / syngende ål - haiga]

the darkness of hell in tight little portions ::: singing eels

---

helvedes mørke i små fine portioner ::: syngende ål

[red berries / røde bær]

still alone and penniless shiny red berries


stadig alene og uden penge røde bær

[haiga]

---

a dopamine flute!
I'm covered by a layer
of sleeping rock

en dopaminfløjte!
jeg er dækket af et lag
sovende klippe

[haiga]

[dying wasp / døende hveps]

things that can wait and a dying wasp ::: autumn darkness

ting der kan vente og en døende hveps ::: efterårsmørke

[blue fish / blå fisk]

above the old church
the blue fish
of tedious exile


over den gamle kirke
det trættende eksils
blå fisk

[wall clock / vægur]

why no vulcanos?
my wall clock insists
on being three minutes behind


hvorfor ingen vulkaner?
mit vægur insisterer på
at gå tre minutter for langsomt

[falling pears / faldende pærer]

falling pears -
through a whole in the wind
an offer of oblivion


faldende pærer -
gennem et hul i vinden
et tilbud om glemsel

[early September / tidlig september]

early September -
I'm having doubts about
this man/island thing


tidlig september -
jeg er i tvivl om denne
menneske/ø ting

[hush / shh]

hush little bird!
in an anatomical atlas
no gland called “Home”


shh, lille fugl!
i et anatomisk atlas
ingen kirtel ved navn ”Hjem”

[Monday / mandag]

it's still Monday
I am a ping-pong ball
bursting with duality


det er stadig mandag
jeg er en bordtennisbold
der strutter af dualitet

[ ...]

in the inner ear
a tiny tempest -
the anvil of avenge in rubber


i det indre øre
en lillebitte storm -
hævnens ambolt i gummi

[notes from an exile / noter fra et eksil]

still in mid-air a conversation a withdrawal

stadig i luften en samtale en tilbagetrækning

*

brilliant trees as in making sense

strålende træer som i at give mening

*

barbed wire kiss and then again: another green room

pigtrådskys og så igen: endnu et grønt værelse

*

lidocaine I bump into anything with a face

lidokain jeg støder ind i alt med et ansigt

*

sombre reptiles among umbrellas I walk for the abyss

dystre krybdyr mellem paraplyer går jeg mod afgrunden

*

future sound of falling a kite in a parallel world

en fremtidig lyd af et fald en drage i en parallelverden

*

WWII in color the shadows as massive as now

2. verdenskrig i farver skyggerne så massive som nu

*

the man who was me and not there ::: a riddle can

manden som var mig og ikke tilstede ::: en gådedåse

*

king's lead hat a sparrow falls (in between calendars)

kongens blyhat en spurv falder (ind mellem kalendere)

*

proposing a white room ::: last thunder of August

foreslår et hvidt rum ::: sidste torden i august

*

blue Monday seven in a row and a raven's feather

blå mandag syv i træk og en ravnefjer

*

end of the endless a word crawls back in the dark

slutningen på det endeløse et ord kravler tilbage i mørke

*

transparency a state of non-being carved from sleep

gennemsigtighed en tilstand af ikke-væren skåret ud af søvn

*

now, that is rolling! the sky is inside a boulder

se, det er rulning! himlen er inde i en klippeblok

[gendai haiga?]

--
Haiga
- some loose thoughts -

Is there such a thing called "gendai haiga"? Guess not, but maybe there should be in the sense, that image and haiku should create a third whole instead of merely "suit" each other ... IF haiku is (or is supposed to be) images in words, why interpret it with another image? And maybe time has come to express these times - good or bad, they're here - with all it implies in haiga too, not just some vague nature dream in it's core only looking backwards ...

All haiku "theory" (I hate that word and when it comes down to it: all theorizing - in the open, anyway) says, that a haiku is mainly a juxtaposition of two images in conjunction giving "meaning" and light to the other. In that way they make up a third, the intended, the "ku", the actual haiku - which in turn is completed in the readers mind. Baffling.

Much haiga these days seems to be illustrative and very "neat" - and frankly mere decoration pieces from nature romantics w cameras and photo-editing software - endlessly repetitive and BOOOORING. It leaves very little to the viewer/reader - the image usually repeats what's in the ku or vice versa. That sort of takes the reader/viewer out of the process, as he/she seems to be told how to complete the poem.

What about making the haiga a third image in whole to expand the haiku using other means than the illustrative ones?

What about introducing picture-language from all over the wide range of art history? The possibilities are now endless, but it demands a greater "image-awareness" from the "haiga-ist" and it demands a need to more than just showing forth a piece of soothing nature. The blog "See haiku here" is a good example of this.

[chaos / kaos]

a historic kiss
leads to this insomnia -
one butterfly, two and three

et historisk kys
fører til denne søvnløshed -
en sommerfugl, to og tre

[spejle / mirrors - ver. 2]

[spejle / mirrors]

[still an insect / stadig et insekt]

[pianoless / pianoløs]

pianoless
putting the salt back
into the earth

pianoløs
jeg putter saltet tilbage
i jorden

[ ...]

swallows leaving youshouldhavesaidsomething

svalerne forsvinder duskullehavesagtnoget

[salt / salt]

low pressure -
in a bloated brain
the I-slug hits salt


lavtryk -
i en oppustet hjerne
støder jeg-sneglen på salt

[Tree? / træ?]

this means something -
a mess of leaves
with a trunk inside


det her betyder noget -
et roderi af blade
med en stamme indeni

[August / august]

August is a month for rope
behind the mirror
there is no ”I”


august er en måned for reb
bag spejlet er der
intet ”jeg”

[Hiroshima & Nagasaki]

Cities of the Dead -
a sober sky citing
the cloud-book


De Dødes Byer -
en nøgtern himmel citerer
sky-bogen


*

burned footsteps -
will a thousand suns
remember


brændte fodspor -
vil tusinde sole
huske

--
these days it's 60 years ago man-made hell exceeded even the grimmest of our fantasies

i disse dage er det 60 år siden et menneskeskabt helvede overtrumfede selv vor værste fantasi

[thunder fish / tordenfisk]

the saddest thing:
a thunder fish belches
from loneliness


et trist syn:
en tordenfisk bøvser
af ensomhed

[heart / hjerte]

wide open heart -
ships and dogs
crash there


vidtåbent hjerte -
skibe og hunde
går omkuld dér

[haiga]

[untimely fall / utidigt efterår]

untimely fall -
I retrace an old drawing
in water


utidigt efterår -
jeg kopierer en gammel tegning
i vand

[haiku]

still air -
will a dead butterfly
become a butterfly?

stille luft -
vil en død sommerfugl
blive til en sommerfugl?

*

something heavy -
how much of my sweat
seeps into a golem?

noget tungt -
hvor meget af min sved
siver ind i en golem?

*

beathing tree -
we exchange shadows on
an uneven scale

træet ånder -
vi udveksler skygger på
en ulige skala

*

house of cards -
at this time I start
the fan

korthus -
det er nu jeg starter
viften

*

flying ants -
form here on the universe
gets livelier

flyvende myrer -
fra nu af bliver universet
livligere

[Tea w Patanjali / te m Patanjali]

Abt. 1500 years ago Patanjali wrote – or compiled - ”Yoga Sutras – how to know God”.

For ca. 1500 år siden skrev – eller samlede – Patanjali ”Yoga Sutras – hvorledes man lærer Gud at kende”.



tea with Patanjali -
the Patriarch bends to pry
a sutra from his shoe


te med Patanjali -
Patriarken bøjer sig for at lirke
en sutra ud af skoen

*

walking with Patanjali -
the Patriarch admits jealousy
towards his pet clouds


gåtur med Patanjali -
Patriarken tilstår sin jalousi
over hans kæle-skyer

*

hot dog stand -
Patanjali tells the Patriarch
the sutra for sweeting ketchup


pølsevogn -
Patanjali fortæller Patriarken
sutraen for sødere ketchup

*

neti, neti* -
Patanjali shows the Patriarch
the non-being of a hot-dog


neti, neti* -
Patanjali viser Patriarken
en hotdogs ikke-væren

*

tea with Patanjali -
the Patriarch fishes gunas
from the sugar


te med Patanjali -
Patriarke fisker gunaer op
af sukkeret

*

tea with Patanjali -
now he's present
now he's not


te med Patanjali -
nu er han her
nu er han her ikke

---

*
not this, not this - or - not this, nor that. A keyword from the Upanishads.

ikke det og ikke det - eller - ikke dette eller hint. Nøgleudtryk fra Upanishaderne.

New book

My bilingual penguin haiku just published by Cyberwit: Click here

* 
Mine tosprogede pingvinhaiku publiceret af Cyberwit: klik her

[drizzle / støvregn]

drizzle drizzle drizzle and then some and a tree


støvregn støvregn støvregn og så lidt mere og et træ

[white sky / hvid himmel]

Surreal haiku

white sky -
a ball of thousand needles
rolls on frogs


hvid himmel -
en kugle af tusind nåle
ruller på frøer

*

white sky -
the absent wind
with a girl's name


hvid himmel -
den fraværende vind
med et pigenavn

*

white sky -
a concerto in D Major
turns into a spider


hvid himmel -
en koncert i D dur
bliver til en edderkop

*

white sky -
a dog of dust curls up
in a deaf ear


hvid himmel -
en hund af støv ruller sig sammen
i et døvt øre

[dying shasei / døende shasei]

oh, the moon again -
the shasei dictionary
dried up from boredom


årh, månen igen -
shasei ordbogen er tørret ind
af kedsomhed

[DNA]

coiling DNA I step over a dateline


snoet DNA jeg træder over en datolinie

[yard gravel / havegrus]

yard gravel -
I build a demanding religion
from popsicle sticks



havegrus -
jeg bygger en krævende religion
af ispinde

[aphids / tordenfluer og bladlus]

aphids and I'm halfways through Jonahs' whale

tordenfluer og jeg er halvvejs gennem Jonas' hval

*

aphids beneath the Milky Way I go plural

bladlus under Mælkevejen går jeg i flertal

*

aphids I'm halfways through Bruchner's 9th

tordenfluer jeg er halvvejs gennem Bruchners 9nde

[caput mundi]

caput mundi -
from the nose of a prophet
a paper ladder grows


caput mundi -
fra en profets næse vokser
en papirstige

[monostichs]

thunder roll it all starts with a handshake

tordenskrald det starter med et håndtryk

*

rain a thunder god's goats grassing my scalp

regn en tordenguds geder afgræsser min isse

*

the very face I came with still in the making

det selvsamme ansigt jeg kom med stadig under opbygning

*

from the top of my head a spiral of strawberry flavored heat

fra min isse en spiral af varme med jordbærsmag

*

I stop counting by 1::: a riddle of the new moon

jeg tæller kun til 1 ::: en gåde om nymånen

*

circling the circle on the edge of a glass ::: A minor friction

går rundt i cirklen på kanten af glasset ::: A mol friktion

*

my house a few winters down a place to vanish

mit hus et par vintre henne et sted at forsvinde

*

in any language a heat to conquer by color

på ethvert sprog en varme der skal overvindes med farve

[hollyhocks / stokroser]

past the hollyhocks
the nowhere-path that clings
to my feet


forbi stokroserne
stien til intetsteds der klæber
til mine fødder

[monostich]

incessant rain I translate my body from Latin

regn uden ophør jeg oversætter min krop fra latin

---

… and when the Earth settles a femur flute plays ”In-a-gadda-da-vida”

… og når Jorden falder til ro spiller en femurfløjte ”In-a-gadda-da-vida”

Important document

Reading Max Verhart's article in the recent ed. of Modern Haiku (42.2 summer) I searched the web for "The Matsuyama Declaration". This is very important and upfifting reading if you're - as I am - a bit annoyed and fed up with the eternal discussion of the rules of haiku.

There seems to be, as in most convert's circles, a tendency to be more Japanese than the Japanese themselves. This is an akward "movement" in that respect, that "they" seem to adhere to haiku rules long abandoned - or reformed - by the Japanese haijin themselves. In broad terms.

Of course there are the same disagreements around haiku in Japan as there are in the West - more or less. But, from what I can sense, there is a broader sense of how all the (sub-)genres of haiku taken together is haiku. Haiku is a many-branched river, but all of the water is part of the overall stream ...

Read this document and learn how (some) Japanese think about haiku in the West in the 21. Century.

Read The Matsuyama Declaration here

[muddy pool / mudret pyt]

a young boy
like a muddy pool -
on and on this path of aging goes


en ung dreng
som en mudret pyt -
alderens sti bli'r ved og ved

---

(built on Nagata Kooi's poem found on "The Matsuyama Declaration")

haiku

this man
a homeless echo – ravens
play a part in this


denne mand
et hjemløst ekko -
ravne spiller ind her

[spirit animal / åndedyr]

multiply by 2.54 -
my spirit animal
is a snail


gang med 2,54 -
mit åndedyr
er en snegl

[empire / emperie]

a new empire -
the boy knows nought about his history
but can say: ”fuck you, bitch”


et nyt emperie -
drengen ved intet om historie
men kan sige ”fuck dig, bitch”

[monostich]

rhododendron rhododendron I am almost a train

rhododendron rhododendron jeg er næsten et tog

[tuna burial / tunbegravelse]

full moon trivia -
a tuna is buried
in hundreds of tin cans


fuldmåne trivia -
en tunfisk begraves
i hundreder af dåser



--
(a revision)

[poppy capsules / valmuekapsler]

poppy capsules -
psalm 51 creates lumps
in a steady horizon


valmuekapsler -
salme 51 laver klumper
i en rolig horisont

[Monday appointment / mandagsaftale]

a Monday appointment -
the Western wind takes off
with the roses


en mandagsaftale -
vestenvinden tager af sted
med roserne

[white peonies / hvide pæoner]

white peonies -
who casts the shadow
that is me?


hvide pæoner -
hvem kaster skyggen
som er mig?

[encircled by swallows / omringet af svaler]

encircled by swallows
my house stands breathing
yellow


omringet af svaler
står mit hus og ånder
gult

[blushing moon / rødmende måne]

not counting ladybugs -
I dress and undress
beneath a blushing moon


tæller ikke mariehøns -
jeg klæder mig af og på
under en rødmende måne

[beneath Zenith / under Zenith]

beneath Zenith -
a drop of water dissolves
the word ”Dear”


under Zenith -
en dråbe vand opløser
ordet ”Kære”

haiku

going upwards
I become even bluer -
a saxophone solo


mens jeg går opad
bliver jeg stadig mere blå -
en saxofon solo

haiku

lights from a festive city -
the glass-face I wear
during rockslides


lys fra en festende by -
glasansigtet jeg bærer
ved stenskred

*

temporary relief -
while the pears ripen
I'm stuck on Earth


midlertidig lettelse .
mens pærerne modnes
sidder jeg fast på Jorden

haiku

NaHaiWriMo prompt June 3, 2011: space travels or space in general

NaHaiWriMo emne 3. Juni 2011: rumrejser eller rummet generelt


moon landing -
I scratch my ear
with a plastic soldier


månelanding -
jeg klør mit øre
med en plastiksoldat


*


Voyager -
the loose bulb
behind the sun


Voyager -
den løse pære
bag solen


*


ghost of Laika -
no lampposts
beyond Eris


Laikas spøgelse -
ingen lygtepæle
efter Eris

(Eris: the 10th planet of our Solar System)


*


ghost of Laika -
a yuhangyuan hides
his lunchbox


Laikas spøgelse -
en yuhangyuan gemmer
sin madkasse

(Chinese astronauts are called yuhangyuans. One of them ate dog meat in space: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c10_1273802366)


*


mirrored universe -
I house a solar system
behind my belly button


et spejlet univers -
jeg huser et solsystem
bag navlen


*


earth walking -
I wonder if the Celestials
televise this


jordvandring -
gad vide om De Himmelske
sender dette

"when the man comes around" or "how to bribe Death"

knick-knacks -
I bribe off Death
with a glass ballerina


tingeltangel -
jeg bestikker Døden
med en glasballerina

*

knick-knacks -
will Charon settle for
a plactic gondol?


tingeltangel -
vil Charon være tilfreds
med en plastikgondol

*

red glass dolphin -
will this be a treat
for Yama


rød glasdelfin -
ku' den være en godbid
for Yama

*

before Styx I pause
remebering
I can't use Visa


foran Styx standsler jeg op
kommer i tanker om
at Visa ikke du'r

*

I argue:
I haven't got reservations -
Charon's toothless smile

jeg påpeger:
jeg har ikke pladsreservation -
Charons tandløse smil

*

born and reborn -
Charon's helpers snatches
my purse

født og genfødt -
Charons hjælpere stjæler
min pung

*

making a deal
Charon accepts a delay
if I can sing like Cash

I will make you hurt
we sing in a duet -
I'm the 2. voice



indgår en aftale -
Charon giver ekstra tid
hvis jeg kan synge som Cash

I will make you hurt
synger vi i duet -
jeg tager 2. stemmen

*

throwing a bone
for Anubis to catch -
eternity spent in limbo


kaster et ben
som Anubis kan gribe -
lever evigheden i limbo

haiku

sudden weight -
my red bucket unaffected
by the thunder


en pudselig tyngde -
min røde spand uberørt
af tordenvejret

haiku

harbour sponge-cake visit with the Atlantic


havn sandkagebesøg hos Atlanten

haiku

fluffy dandelions -
if this land had mountains
they'd have cute names


lådne mælkebøtter
hvis vi havde bjerge
havde de søde navne

(gendai) haiku

my face multiplied
in a cigar
I overturn a dictator


mit ansigt mangedoblet
i en cigar
jeg vælter en diktator

monostich

how a boy emptied the ocean fingerless


hvordan en dreng tømte havet uden fingre

(man and apples)

empty snakeskin -
what is it with
man and apples?


tomt slangeskin -
hvad er det der
med mennesker og æbler?

haiku

white and purple -
the scent of lilacs
is a ladder too


hvid og lilla -
syrenernes duft
er også en stige

around Easter

Palm Sunday
I ride my bike
to town


Palme Søndag
jeg rider på min cykel
til byen

*

Palm Sunday
a red dingy upside-down
in the garden


Palme Søndag -
en rød dippedut omvendt
i haven

*

Palm Sunday
after service the priest puts on
his cowboy-gear


Palme Søndag
efter gudstjenesten tager præsten
sit cowboy-dress på

The Patriarch / Patriarken

yellow eternities
I know nought about
box folding machines

gule evigheder
jeg ved intet om
kassefoldemaskiner

*

crossing out
parts of creation - the Patriarch
with the red pen

med en rød pen
krydser Patriarken dele
af skabelsen over

*

counting holes in water
the zealous Patriarch
by the Red Sea

tæller huller i vandet -
den nidkære Patriark
ved Det Røde Hav

*

30 dust bunnies
on a used shoelace
a ladder for any soul

30 nullermænd
på et brugt snørebånd
en stige for enhver sjæl

*

throwing sticks
for St. Christopher the Patriarch
gets a tennis elbow

kaster pinde
for St. Kristoffer – Patriarken
får tennisalbue

*

badminton
on The Holy Mountain - a novelty
long prayed for

badminton
på Det Hellige Bjerg – en nyhed
som er bedt for længe

*

dead and smiling
the elder left his shoes
under the bed

død og smilende
staretsen lod skoene stå
under sengen

*

lifting up his sticharion
the Patriarch cools his feet
in the sea of unchange

han løfter op i sticharion
Patriarken køler sine fødder
i uforanderlighedens hav

*

raging against
tight trousers the Patriarch
calms down on frankincense

efter at have raset
over stramme bukser falder Patriarken
til ro på røgelse

*

a sermon for birds
the Patriarch tells them about
the sin of flying

en prædiken for fugle -
Patriarken fortæller dem om
flyvningens synd

*

egg whites and ropes
the fallen world raised
an antstep

æggehvide og reb
den faldne verden løftes
et myreskridt

*

swimming in myron
the Patriarch doing a lightyear
of backcrawl

svømmer i myron
Patriarken tager et lysårs
rygcrawl

*

dreaming of deserts
the Patriarch turns on the AC
in spite of Lent

en drøm om ørkener
Patriarken tænder for air-condition
på trods af fasten

*

the Virgins Garden -
on a stroll the Patriach sees
his adolescent fantasies

Jomfruens Have -
på en gåtur ser Patriarken
sine pubertets-fantasier

*

1200 prostrations -
the Patriarch is tempted
by soft carpets


1200 prostrationer -
Patriarken fristes
af bløde tæpper

*

measuring the sky
the Patriarch makes sketches
for a cherub playground


mens han opmåler himlen
tegner Patriarken skitser
til kerubernes legeplads

*

kissing an icon -
the Patriarch suddenly yearns for
sage sprinkled omelet


kysser en ikon -
Patriarken får pludselig trang til
omelet med salvie

*

over bridges
under bridges – the Patriarch
practising loops


over broer
under broer – Patriarken
øver sig på loops

*

fly hunting
the Patriarch's elastic
komboskini


fluejagt
Patriarkens elastiske
komboskini

*

rooting up
laughter where he finds it
the Patriarch with a migraine


fjerner latter
hvor end han finder den
Patriarken med migræne

*

after vesper
the Patriarch and his gartner
weed out questions


efter vesper -
Patriarken og hans gartner
luger spørgsmål ud

*

Jim Jarmusch
in a sit-com – the Patriarch finally sees
the end of all things


Jim Jarmusch
i en sit-com – endelig ser Patriarken
altings endeligt

*

watching butterflies -
the Patriarch mends
his paper wings


kigger på sommerfugle -
Patriarken reparerer
sine papirvinger

*

in his beard
birds and dry skinned lizards -
the Patriarch has friends


i skægget
fugle og firben med tør hud -
Patriarken har venner

*

a little Armstrong
and Gershwin sneeks in -
the humming Patriark


en smule Armstrong
og Gershwin sniger sig ind -
den nynnende Patriark

*

headcold -
the non-Japanese Patriarch blows
his nose in a kigo


forkølet -
den ikke-japanske Patriark pudser
næse i et kigo

*

orchard inspection -
the Patriarch excommunicate
every first apple


inspektion af frugthaven -
Patriarken ekskommunikerer
det første æble

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(updated June 15, 2011)