Leopard ne čepi — Blackbird Archive

← v9n2, Fall 2010

Pridi. Zlomi me, znižaj. Postajam Čeha penasta latvica.

Sirena me bo ubila. Srgal ji je obleko kot Vergil, da bo

debela in pocasta zdriza osramočena. Ves sem že zmečkan

od skal. Požira me kot vihar, požira kot razcufano zastavo.

Sladoled sem, ki se v trebuhu otroka topi. Zmečkane

tropine. Zehanje uživaških gazel. Kot slon sem šprical.

Kot leopard sem čepel na kravjem srcu, velikem, velikem,

rdečem, ob robu z biseri. Bambusi so bili zataknjeni

v kotičke srca. In se na drugi strani odpirali kot usta, ki so

se pravkar prebila skozi želatino. Puščica, krilo, plavuti

ribe, diamantna konica mojih utekočinjenih možgan.

To dela imperij. Slast. Sirene razstavi v doline. Ampak

požiral sem te iz sebe. Uživam te iz sebe. In hočem še.

Še. Še. Še in več, dokler mi bolečina s peto ne iztisne

duše iz grla. Da bi se spet lahko zjokal in drgetal,

se tresel kot pregret stroj in hlipal. Te rabil. Te rabil.

desire myth language

Tomaž Šalamun

Tomaž Šalamun has published more than thirty books of poetry in his home country of Slovenia and is recognized as one of the leading poets of Central Europe. His honors include the Prešeren Fund Prize, the Jenko Prize, a Pushcart Prize, a visiting Fulbright to Columbia University, and a fellowship to the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Nine collections of his poetry have been published in English: The Book for My Brother (Harcourt, 2005), Row (Arc Publications, 2005), Blackboards (Saturnalia Books, 2004), Poker (Ugly Duckling, 2003), A Ballad for Metka Krasovec (Twisted Spoon, 2001), Feast (Harcourt Brace, 2000), The Selected Poems of Tomaž Šalamun (Ecco, 1988, edited by Charles Simic), The Four Questions of Melancholy (White Pine, 1997), and The Shepherd, The Hunter (Pedernal, 1992). His poems have been translated into more than twenty languages. Woods and Chalices , translated with Brian Henry, is forthcoming from Harcourt in 2008.