DESPAIR

I wear

the cross in my throat

choke it out

balance it

on my clavicle

it grows beyond

thrusts back into me

can’t protect

my heart

from its force

 

VERZWEIFLUNG 

ich trage

das Kreuz in der Kehle

wües heraus

balanciere es

auf meinem Schlüsselbein

es wächst hinaus

stößt in mich zurück

kann mein Herz

nich schützen

vor seiner Wucht

 

JOB

your path

leads me

to me

in me

you are

in you

let us drink

the chalice

and break

the bread of darkness

 

HIOB

dein Weg

führt mich

zu mir

in mir

bist du

in dir

lass uns trinken

den Kelch

und brechen

das Brot der Dunkelheit

 

LUCIFER

Lucifer beats

his wings

looks at his God

in an unending glance

God is not without him

Lucifer is not without God

the world

at war

Lucifer turns

his glance

his torch still on fire

in the fall

 

LUZIFER

Luzifer schwingt

seine Flügel

sieht an seinen Gott

im ewigen Blick

Gott ist nicht ohne ihn

Luzifer ist nicht ohne Gott

die Welt

im Krieg

Luzifer wendet

seinen Blick

im Sturz noch

die Feuerfackel

Ute von Funcke has published three collections of poems, most recently frau auf der flucht (scaneg Verlag/Munich). Stuart Friebert has published fifteen volumes of translations (from German, Romanian, Czech, Italian, and Lithuanian) as well as many books of poems.

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Published in the September 7, 2018 issue: View Contents
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