Janne Nummela
(Untitled)
What are those swallows doing there anyway
come down
icons that Freud midwifed into a hard light
come down from there!
from your pride to walk
in my shoes
There's always room for a precise observation
For six hours I lie in a meadow trying
to reach the insects' wave length
over to the sand strip with soles borrowed
always a certain bird song or flower colour
commands my attention
The swallows wash themselves in the air
the mallards in the pond
are not exactly swimming either
in an unreal yard
when looking real attentively
I don't know what's happening
Hundreds of blue darners (Aeschnidae) chirping
At each step a perfect inadequacy of senses is observable
Models for explanation needed:
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these all-around-the-well small
grass' moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these feather oat's moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moments that keep falling into the windowsill?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moments that change into sulphuric acid?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moist leaves' tiny tiny moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these soluble moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these very light, non-occupied moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these Messerschmitt and Spitfire moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these sleep-crusted moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these shoulder-fired heat-targeted moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these mechanical hand-operated Swiss spring moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these meadow rue's moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these strategic intercontinental moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these air-seasoned moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these battery operated six gigahertz moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these under-the-surface-broken moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these dissolvent-dilutable epoxide resin moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these used pewter-coated moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these with shelter-tubes sheltered moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these pre-varnished moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these ranch-raised or natural moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these brilliant-grinded moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these seed-growed moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these Rhizoctonia swamp contaminated uninuclear moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these shedding moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these icily jingling moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these bushy moments suspended under that dry branch?
translated by Leevi Lehto
Janne Nummela is a Finnish poet, encyclopaedist, and patent examiner. His first book of collage and Google-generated poems, Lyhyellä matkalla ohuesti jäätyneen meren yli (A Short Journey Across a Sea Coverered with Thin Ice), from which this poem comes, was published by poEsia in 2006.
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(Untitled)
What are those swallows doing there anyway
come down
icons that Freud midwifed into a hard light
come down from there!
from your pride to walk
in my shoes
There's always room for a precise observation
For six hours I lie in a meadow trying
to reach the insects' wave length
over to the sand strip with soles borrowed
always a certain bird song or flower colour
commands my attention
The swallows wash themselves in the air
the mallards in the pond
are not exactly swimming either
in an unreal yard
when looking real attentively
I don't know what's happening
Hundreds of blue darners (Aeschnidae) chirping
At each step a perfect inadequacy of senses is observable
Models for explanation needed:
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these all-around-the-well small
grass' moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these feather oat's moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moments that keep falling into the windowsill?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moments that change into sulphuric acid?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these moist leaves' tiny tiny moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these soluble moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these very light, non-occupied moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these Messerschmitt and Spitfire moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these sleep-crusted moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these shoulder-fired heat-targeted moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these mechanical hand-operated Swiss spring moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these meadow rue's moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these strategic intercontinental moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these air-seasoned moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these battery operated six gigahertz moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these under-the-surface-broken moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these dissolvent-dilutable epoxide resin moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these used pewter-coated moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these with shelter-tubes sheltered moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these pre-varnished moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these ranch-raised or natural moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these brilliant-grinded moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these seed-growed moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these Rhizoctonia swamp contaminated uninuclear moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these shedding moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these icily jingling moments?
is there or isn't there
too much of life in these bushy moments suspended under that dry branch?
translated by Leevi Lehto
Janne Nummela is a Finnish poet, encyclopaedist, and patent examiner. His first book of collage and Google-generated poems, Lyhyellä matkalla ohuesti jäätyneen meren yli (A Short Journey Across a Sea Coverered with Thin Ice), from which this poem comes, was published by poEsia in 2006.
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