The longest-running show on television
He is half-asleep most of the time, and you can never understand
His jokes. Surely he has gone mad.
Most of the discussion seems to be about the proper way
Of conducting the proceedings, but it is hard to know for sure
As the languages used are Tamil, Basque or Arawak,
But never a language you can understand. Prizes
Are given out, sometimes for the dumbest answers.
People nobody has ever heard of are constantly being invited
To give speeches. References are made
To the fat reports littering the tables, but only to the pages
Which have gone missing. In the lobby
Of the hotel where you are all staying,
The bellhops are unspeakably rude. They always demand
Money of unknown denominations, in particular small
Octagonal coins, almost as fat as they are large.
In the creaking of steel-tubing of stylish rusty armchairs
Sleepers are snoring, hecklers heckling, most people bored...
Nobody knows whether he is spectator or participant. The program
Is entitled 'Life before Death,' or sometimes, simply
'Goings-on.'
Göran Printz-Pählson (1931 - 2006) Sweden
Source: Letters of Blood and Other Works in English, Göran Printz-Påhlson, Robert Archambeau (ed.), Open Book Publishers, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.