Author: Lars-Arvid Brischke
Translator: Lars-Arvid Brischke
pontius pilate washes his hands
with honey he washes his feet with milk his face
he washes his rear his brain his money
his nameplate beside the bell
we wash his billboards,
with milk with honey we wash
the traffic signs that implore
interdict & instruct
pontius washes his hands with milk
his money his face we see
in the mirror our daily mirror again
in the rearview mirror we wash our faces
with our hands with honey
our brains & our bottoms pilate
washes his hands
with milk his face his feet with honey
his money in our brains
we pull his instructions implorations
& interdictions from his rear
we depict we reflect & wash
one of pontius’ hands in honey in milk
one of pilate’s feet in our rear
in our face in our brain
milk & honey are a cashflow from pontius
to pilate we wash
implorations interdictions instructions in our poem
one hand washes our brain
while the other washes our eyes
our faces are
pilate & pontius we are
with hands & feet we wipe ourselves
from memory
& everything will be clean
but nothing will be clear.
Translation and original © Lars-Arvid Brischke