Soon I will have beautiful skin. I hope for destruction. Beside me, there is a person eating an apple. The apple being eaten beside me is bitter. Being broken and happy is all that is important. Soon I will have beautiful skin. I destroy hope. The person beside me eating an apple is bitter. Beside me there is a person being eaten. Being happy and broken is all that is important. My beautiful skin will be here soon. Hope destroys. There is an apple beside me. Important things, being eaten, happiness, bitterness. Broken. My skin is here. Soon destruction will be beside me. I hope for an apple. Beside me, important, bitter, food. I am happy to be broken. My skin is beside me. I destroy an apple. I hope for something bitter soon. Important, to eat, happiness. Beside me, broken. Destruction is here. An apple on my skin. Bitter things beside me are happy. Soon I will eat the skin I hoped for. Beside me, there are happy things.
There were some kids fighting.
One of the kids got behind one kid and grabbed his shoulders grabbed him under the arms another kid kneed the one kid in the stomach as much as he could as fast as he could hitting him over and over again while the other kid just watched.
There are people who suffer in this way.
There are people who suffer in this way for our sake.
Continue to suffer.
Suffer more violently show us your suffering with your face your body if possible your words.
Please forgive us.
I will not forgive you.
Soon I will have beautiful skin.
I hope for destruction.
Beside me, there is a person eating an apple.
The apple being eaten beside me is bitter.
Being broken and happy is all that is important.
Please forgive us.
I will not forgive you.
We want to see you.
I will not see you.
We are waiting.
You will always be waiting.
Always waiting the uneasy torment of always waiting tired of suffering so tired you fall asleep.
Good night.
Say good night.
Soon I will have beautiful skin.
I hope for destruction.
My broken skin is here beside me.
My happy, beautiful skin will be here soon.
NOTES:
Yamada Ryota (b. 1982) is a member of the “verbal art unit” [TOLTA]. His first book, Giant Field (ジャイアントフィールド, 2009), was a finalist for the Nakahara Chuya Award.
Yamada Ryota
For the original Japanese-language poem, please visit ポエムコンシェルジュとさがす詩の世界.
Picture from: http://nununununu.net/memo/20120426173
UPDATE: I am posting this poem again because it has undergone a serious re-translation, so I feel this new version deserves its own entry. (Note that the older post has also been updated to reflect these changes.)
Entry No. 1 