I got a book / Ich habe ein Buch gekauft
from the store / im Geschäft
and the poems I found / und die Gedichte, die ich fand
are just like the one’s that I write / sind so wie die, die ich schreibe…
at night, when I am lost by
the systems surrounding me
myself, and the blank space
nobody can see HIM, but
money will raise the man
his artificial nature that
is growing in my head
and beyond all hers
there will be a prison
for those who forget
to be human just living
the samples of a
so called ›past‹ (memory calls)
…
today, we will meet and
see how THEY are all wrong
for these times when US is just
an urgent force to the sense
-less world and no breath
can get loose where now
breathing is needed to
stay deliberate in silence
with the growing code, HE
reproducing THEM as a
pattern with and without a
nowherephantasy
now, and WE am
breaking the borders
to stick in a word that
uses ONE as its space
and where YOU can
make ME laugh for
the single moment
I are together
in autumn
…
the author is a famous man
I copied some lines to the machine
that’s what she said, how to understand
the words from one to the other
< Letters from the machinist >
The writer appears
reflecting on
the ages and milestones
of
their grandfather
and
grandmother’s life
juxtaposing
them
with their own experiences
and uncertainties.
The first stanza implies that the writer’s grandfather is a quarter century older than the age at which he was legally allowed to vote. Additionally, he is two decades younger than the president who signed the document granting him that right.
In addition: Given that the poem was written in 2016, the president being referred to is likely Lyndon B. Johnson. He signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This act marked a significant milestone in the civil rights movement in the United States.
The second stanza highlights the early age at which the grandfather and grandmother got married, which was four years younger than the writer’s current age.
The writer expresses
a sense of uncertainty
about
various aspects
of life compared to
their grandparents, who
seemed to be more confident
and sure about their relationship
than the writer
is
about
most things
in their life.
This comparison may indicate a sense of admiration or nostalgia for the stability and certainty displayed by their grandparents.
< / end >
…
the author is a famous man
I copy lines
into my head and wonder
how the word was spread before
…
I went to the book store and
got me a book
the poems I found
are just like mine
…
but I am no man / ER ist kein Mann
and I am not famous / ER ist nicht berühmt
I am just a poem / ›ER‹ ist ein Gedicht
and that is / und das ist
what I need to say / was ›ICH‹ den Menschen
to the civils. / sagen muss.