at home
what was that again
I'm sitting in the commuter train
thinking of the agony
of fish eyes
in a tin of sprats
do you remember
the red label
kilki w tomatnom sousje
the flat tin
open wide
hard to bear
that staring
people on platforms
mühlheim       dietesheim       steinheim
mondays to fridays always the same
litany over loudspeakers
an inspector suggests that I
should get a ticket
so that we know
he says
where you're going


Maik Lippert
translated by Catherine Hales
German original © Edition Thaleia, St. Ingbert 2007