Vinko Möderndorfer

passing words that have nothing to do with
the teeth much less the tongue
words spoken merely from a gurgling
words that don’t come from the head
much less from the lungs or even heart

fall like toxic dust
on wincing faces
on hands and naked bodies
poisoning everything
they name everything they touch
with the sound of an empty tongue

words that aren’t even lies
a hollow void that drips
like gooey mud from pulpits
from speakers’ podiums
from newspaper pages
from screens
through all the world’s holes

words
even on this morning

when rain falls in my country
it’s as if
it’s raining on the inside
as if the rain falls like tears
and not like nectar

when rain falls in my country
it’s as in
a ballad
the sky is crying over wrongs
and the clouds aren’t children dressed
in oversized clothes as in a cartoon
children who switch attires
with the seasons

when rain falls in my country
it’s as if
it’ll soon reach one’s neck
and drown the fragile hope
and strangle children’s dreams

when rain falls in my country
it’s as if
the words of lies
are transforming into burning drops of brimstone

when rain falls in my country
it’s not an intimation of spring
it’s a drowning
a protracted drowning

I’ve had it with these empty skies
said the hand
and tore itself away from the body
and became a cloud

it’s floating above prague now
above vienna travelling over budapest
descending on
central europe
touching mists with fingertips
touching everybody
travelling underneath

I am the torn-off hand
singing its ballad
I used to write poetry
now I’m putting discounted items
into shopping carts

this country is going to become unliveable
in this country there are too many
paths truths sideways glances
too many people that you know
in this country there are too many dead ends
too few different houses
in this country words are worthless
even the word country means something else
rain downpour rotting water up to your neck
in this country one searches and doesn’t find
it’s evasive the country the people the looks
so little air
so much anger