AntiBabylon: poetry evening

A piece from «antiBabylon»¹ poetry evening
Panda platforma, Pen Armenia
november 18, Yerevan

Josefine Berkholz

I am the softest person that you ever longed to be. I am a tremor.
When I enter the hall the whole room’s breath is staggered
stopped-still. You couldn’t help but notice. I am, if you will,
a gasp cut in your sentence, look at me. It’s okay, you can look at me. I am
exactly where I was meant to be, I am one of the boys, I am the beast

with the most flamboyant feathers, I am not taking this for granted I am

the best proof that it’s possible I have made an impression I am
so clever for my age I am more attentive then I look I am
the greatest hope of the district league I am the best proof am I not
the best possible proof I am grateful for the opportunity to be speaking
here today I am a piece of ass of course I came prepared I am so bright
I am the love of your live I’m such a critical-minded young lady
I am the voice of a sore, a throat-clearing, a generation that sadly
often slurs it’s speech, in this respect I’ve been a positive exception I am
a reputable member a respected member a presentable member of this class
community I am the best fuck of your life I am truly the linchpin
I was so young back then I am like a sister to you I am
a reliable part of your path I am a back as hard as rock I am easier
to handle then I look I have always been exceptional and I am always
the exception I am the greatest joy of the family I am a name like a ribbon
like a riddle like a silver thread it is me you are all looking at now
I have forgotten everything.

Andro Dadiani

God save me from this winter
from the carelessness of the neighbor,
from a gas leak,
God, protect me from collapsed metro stations.
Protect me from being buried alive, that is, from this city,
from the station square,
from homophobia,
from homophobia in the subway station,
But not the way the police protect me.

protect me from the law
Or rather, from rats crawling through the holes of the law
from power greater than the law, from glory,
Protect me from power of Superman and from the greed.
Protecting me from an imitation of a man, waking up in me in the streets,
Give me the natural muscles, deflated and sagging
Naturals

God naturals!
Big and tall naturals!
Protecting me from high naturals
protect me from heights altogether
To forget my lowliness.
To avoid hopelessness higher than me,
pressures lower than mine, →
tongues longer than mine
tongue studies,
tongue abbreviations,
tongue coming outs, →→
tongue coming ins,
tongue twisters,
tears in the tongue,
tongue twisters
rolling in the tongues
biting tongue

_

God, save me from AIDS too…

_

First forgive me some things and then protect me:
Forgive me for my love of fruits and vegetables.
Forgive me for throwing away apple peels
Blade of Cain Forgive me, character of Ares
Forgive me for not understanding the weight and depth of your truth
(forgive the two-dimensional thinking),
Forgive me for quietly sneaking away from my own wedding.
Forgive me for destroying the sand castles of the neighbor’s children and sneaking out into the yard
Forgive me feudal religions

Religiosity in general, please forgive me;
Uneven views
Toothless jokes
Pathless forests
Forgive me fascism and victim of Iphigenia
Samson’s cut braid and wordless songs
Forgive the romanticism after Auschwitz
Forgive me for the fig broth sacrificing the skin
forgive me April 9, andf forgive me 17th of May, and
Protect me god, from 17th of May.
God protect me,
God save me,
God protect me from 17th of May.

God, protect me from AIDS
Yes!

→ Not if you want to stop protecting me from this. I’m not afraid anymore.
I do have to ask you to protect me from my hungry dog,
I also want to protect myself from aggressive fuckers.
(Unless you’re not afraid of them yourself, and if you have the guts to.)
Gooooooood and St. George of Gorijvari!
Protect me from rising utility bills
Protect me from criminal quarrels,
Since you can’t protect me from this lack of air, can you?!
Therefore, at least protect me from the inevitable cancer
Oooooh, come on, come on, really protect me from this
Protect me from the plague and from the murkiness too
I beg you.

→ Protect me from the baby talks,
from chicken blindness,
from pink glasses,
from the pink-walled prison,
From pink flying hippos and
From State security’s supervision…
| Well, protect me from that too, but also protect State security from your supervision
→→ Protect my dog from his lover
Save my lover from me
Save me from my bored lover
My mother from motherhood greater than mother,
My father from my mother
My mother from my father
My father from being late for work…

_

Oh god

_

Protect me from revealing my sexual fetishes
From my father’s underwear
Or rather, from their attractive smell.
For the love of it
Hide my mother’s bras
Which I finally grew out of wearing
And protect me from peeping my father in the toilet and my mother…

_

Ouch, how have I changed?
Ouch, what happened to me?
What if my friends find out…
Hope my friends wont find out…
What if my friends find out…
Hope my friends wont find out…

|Ouch, If my friendsfindout…
‘Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout…
‘Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout…
‘Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout…
‘Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout…
Oh my god, I’m begging you.
Oh don’t say it anywhere,
Protect me under your lap
With big, sexy hands of yours.
If only my friends find out how envious I am of all their success…
Go|d save me, God save me,
God save me from friends like me!
Go|d save me, God save me,
God, protect me from the assholes like me!
Go|d save me, God save me,
God protect me from bastards like me!
Go|d protect me, God protect me, God
G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume
Gnn gme
Gnn gme
Gnn

_

What the hell is this
Why are they shooting at each other like that?

Come with me don’t go anywhere
They will finish you off,
Don’t go out
I know you have lost faith in this city and
You probably think, that you are such a pushover
I’ll tell you, you got fake

But it’s better for you to stay
Its been long since Moscow does not believe in tears
Here you will cry, they will give you a helping hand,
Maybe think about it,
Stay here for real, it’s better for you.

_ 

God, how you tremble
God, how cold you are
Come with me,
I will unfreeze your legs
I will pour hot water into the basin

Come to me baby
Let me pick you up and take you with me,
Come, I will shelter you God.

___

1 From the description of the event: «Poets from five countries — Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Germany — are taking part in the project.  The aim of the antiBabylon 2022 project is to create a free multilingual poetic space – with a horizontal structure and an inherently international component. Essential is the comprehension of a unique linguistic identity which does not divide, but unites as well as an anti-imperialist state of mind. The project is organized by the Berlin-based international NGO “PANDA platforma” with the support of the German Foreign Office and takes place in cooperation with local partner organizations, such as Pen Armenia… This event is a part of the creative tour of the project team. During this event, the results of a 1 month multilingual poetry lab will be presented, with the selected participants and jury members from the five countries, this time with an emphasis on Armenian language. Special guests of the event will also perform on the stage! Prepare to dive into an evening full of spoken word and performance poetry flowing between languages, countries and stories».