Kristina Lugn
translated from the Swedish by Malena Mörling and Jonas Ellerström
*
I am a very diligent writer of letters
and possess great control of the Swedish language
just like English German and French
I am a well-trained stacker of words
I don’t know how many syllables
I have licked
licked and licked shut placed in these narrow cracks
towards the world
if I try to reach the world
I want to see the world
(I want the world to see me)
I don’t know how many times now
getting up and stitching my face together
sewing with small tiny stitches (thread much too thick)
now begins a new day to share
try to make oneself at home in
stitching together all my faces
applying eyes that see and do not see
all according to need
then the floor reaches me
*
Don’t moan!
Bite together your teeth!
Pick your eyebrows!
Extend your eyelashes!
Shorten your antennas!
Put your hair up!
Clean your nostrils!
Shave off the mustaches!
Swallow something calming!
Don’t sit there so feeble-minded
alone and egotistical, don’t
cry anymore
*
The nights have become bigger
and they continue to grow
soon there is no room for them
in my head anymore
and it was a while ago
that the kids were in touch
it was a while ago
I was a mean
and very privileged child
in my parent' red brick house
everything I touched
belonged to someone else
and my parents were convinced that
they loved me
_________
translated from the Swedish by Malena Mörling and Jonas Ellerström
*
I am a very diligent writer of letters
and possess great control of the Swedish language
just like English German and French
I am a well-trained stacker of words
I don’t know how many syllables
I have licked
licked and licked shut placed in these narrow cracks
towards the world
if I try to reach the world
I want to see the world
(I want the world to see me)
I don’t know how many times now
getting up and stitching my face together
sewing with small tiny stitches (thread much too thick)
now begins a new day to share
try to make oneself at home in
stitching together all my faces
applying eyes that see and do not see
all according to need
then the floor reaches me
*
Don’t moan!
Bite together your teeth!
Pick your eyebrows!
Extend your eyelashes!
Shorten your antennas!
Put your hair up!
Clean your nostrils!
Shave off the mustaches!
Swallow something calming!
Don’t sit there so feeble-minded
alone and egotistical, don’t
cry anymore
*
The nights have become bigger
and they continue to grow
soon there is no room for them
in my head anymore
and it was a while ago
that the kids were in touch
it was a while ago
I was a mean
and very privileged child
in my parent' red brick house
everything I touched
belonged to someone else
and my parents were convinced that
they loved me
_________