András Imreh

Poems

Afternoon

Délután

They give the dog a bath. Face twisted to a frown,
they pull their sleeves above their elbows with their teeth.
They play a bit of soccer, until the sun goes down.
They let go of the wheel as the road descends beneath.
They shower, then they iron, in just their underwear.
They open up the window. The hinges give a screech.
They give the lawn a mowing. The radio starts to blare.
They reckon that tomorrow they'll go check out the beach.
They have a few soft drinks before the evening news.
They oil the rowboat's hooks, in which the paddles go.
They bet a crate of beer that the German team will lose.
They occupy the roof to watch the firework show.
They phone their granny up, and give their nails a trimming.
As scissors dance through fingers, a long long chat is had.
The tablecloth gets shaken. A little spoon goes skimming.
The joy of early evening, auto-destructive, mad.

 

Set to Go

Indulás

We're set to go. We've turned the heat off,
we've ditched the compost, locked the gate.
We've polished all we had to eat off,
pre-set the light to shine at eight.
We're set to go. Garage is locked.
Small keg beneath the water-course.
I've brought the deck-chairs in, but not
the chopping block, the sawing horse.
We're set to go. Got pad and pencil.
Got laptop next to driver's seat.
Filled all the bags. Packed each utensil.
Put out the trash can on the street.
We're set to go. But hey, look fresher!
Our time is good. Let's keep it so.
What say we quickly check the pressure?
We're set to go. We're set to go.

 

Sonnet

Szonett

I'm not old. But I like to be alone,
to lounge around the house, procrastinate;
grow fond of aging undershirts, and hate
to throw them out, however soiled they've grown;
advice, delivered in a friendly tone,
by caring friends, can make me quite irate;
some items of my furniture, whose state
could be improved, I want left in their known
condition; and I never lift my voice
at times when someone has to make a choice;
some sentences of mine, which start out good,

I break off, and they're never understood.

Translated by David Hill

András Imreh
szövege