{"id":329704,"date":"2022-11-21T03:33:59","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T23:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epress.am\/?p=329704"},"modified":"2022-11-21T03:33:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-20T23:33:59","slug":"antibabylon-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/2022\/11\/21\/antibabylon-2022.html","title":{"rendered":"AntiBabylon: poetry evening"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A piece from \u00abantiBabylon\u00bb<sup>1<\/sup> poetry evening<br \/>\nPanda platforma, Pen Armenia<br \/>\nnovember 18, Yerevan<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"\u054f\u0565\u0580\u0578\u0582\u0576\u0561\u056f\u0561\u0576\" width=\"618\" height=\"348\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dg9SA2zsy88?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Josefine Berkholz<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am the softest person that you ever longed to be. I am a tremor.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I enter the hall the whole room\u2019s breath is staggered<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stopped-still. You couldn\u2019t help but notice. I am, if you will,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a gasp cut in your sentence, look at me. It\u2019s okay, you can look at me. I am<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exactly where I was meant to be, I am one of the boys, I am the beast<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with the most flamboyant feathers, I am not taking this for granted I am<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the best proof that it\u2019s possible I have made an impression I am<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so clever for my age I am more attentive then I look I am<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the greatest hope of the district league I am the best proof am I not<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the best possible proof I am grateful for the opportunity to be speaking<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here today I am a piece of ass of course I came prepared I am so bright<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am the love of your live I\u2019m such a critical-minded young lady<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am the voice of a sore, a throat-clearing, a generation that sadly<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">often slurs it\u2019s speech, in this respect I\u2019ve been a positive exception I am<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a reputable member a respected member a presentable member of this class<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">community I am the best fuck of your life I am truly the linchpin<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was so young back then I am like a sister to you I am<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a reliable part of your path I am a back as hard as rock I am easier<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to handle then I look I have always been exceptional and I am always<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the exception I am the greatest joy of the family I am a name like a ribbon<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">like a riddle like a silver thread it is me you are all looking at now<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have forgotten everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Andro Dadiani<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God save me from this winter<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the carelessness of the neighbor,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from a gas leak,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, protect me from collapsed metro stations.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from being buried alive, that is, from this city,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the station square,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from homophobia,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from homophobia in the subway station,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But not the way the police protect me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">protect me from the law<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or rather, from rats crawling through the holes of the law<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from power greater than the law, from glory,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from power of Superman and from the greed.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protecting me from an imitation of a man, waking up in me in the streets,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give me the natural muscles, deflated and sagging<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturals<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God naturals!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big and tall naturals!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protecting me from high naturals<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">protect me from heights altogether<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To forget my lowliness.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To avoid hopelessness higher than me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pressures lower than mine, \u2192<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongues longer than mine<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue studies,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue abbreviations,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue coming outs, \u2192\u2192<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue coming ins,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue twisters,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tears in the tongue,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tongue twisters<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rolling in the tongues<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">biting tongue<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, save me from AIDS too&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First forgive me some things and then protect me:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for my love of fruits and vegetables.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for throwing away apple peels<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blade of Cain Forgive me, character of Ares<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for not understanding the weight and depth of your truth<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(forgive the two-dimensional thinking),<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for quietly sneaking away from my own wedding.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for destroying the sand castles of the neighbor&#8217;s children and sneaking out into the yard<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me feudal religions<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Religiosity in general, please forgive me;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uneven views<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toothless jokes<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pathless forests<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me fascism and victim of Iphigenia<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samson&#8217;s cut braid and wordless songs<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive the romanticism after Auschwitz<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forgive me for the fig broth sacrificing the skin<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forgive me April 9, andf forgive me 17th of May, and<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me god, from 17th of May.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God protect me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God save me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God protect me from 17th of May.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, protect me from AIDS<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192 Not if you want to stop protecting me from this. I&#8217;m not afraid anymore.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I do have to ask you to protect me from my hungry dog,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I also want to protect myself from aggressive fuckers.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Unless you\u2019re not afraid of them yourself, and if you have the guts to.)<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gooooooood and St. George of Gorijvari!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from rising utility bills<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from criminal quarrels,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since you can\u2019t protect me from this lack of air, can you?!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, at least protect me from the inevitable cancer<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oooooh, come on, come on, really protect me from this<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from the plague and from the murkiness too<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I beg you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192 Protect me from the baby talks,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from chicken blindness,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from pink glasses,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the pink-walled prison,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From pink flying hippos and<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From State security\u2019s supervision&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">| Well, protect me from that too, but also protect State security from your supervision<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192\u2192 Protect my dog from his lover<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Save my lover from me<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Save me from my bored lover<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My mother from motherhood greater than mother,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My father from my mother<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My mother from my father<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My father from being late for work&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh god<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me from revealing my sexual fetishes<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From my father&#8217;s underwear<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or rather, from their attractive smell.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the love of it<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hide my mother&#8217;s bras<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which I finally grew out of wearing<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And protect me from peeping my father in the toilet and my mother&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ouch, how have I changed?<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ouch, what happened to me?<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if my friends find out&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hope my friends wont find out&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if my friends find out&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hope my friends wont find out&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">|Ouch, If my friendsfindout&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Ouchwhatifmyfriendsfindout&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh my god, I&#8217;m begging you.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh don&#8217;t say it anywhere,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect me under your lap<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With big, sexy hands of yours.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If only my friends find out how envious I am of all their success&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go|d save me, God save me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God save me from friends like me!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go|d save me, God save me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, protect me from the assholes like me!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go|d save me, God save me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God protect me from bastards like me!<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go|d protect me, God protect me, God<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume G|ume<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gnn gme<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gnn gme<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gnn<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What the hell is this<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why are they shooting at each other like that?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come with me don&#8217;t go anywhere<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will finish you off,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t go out<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I know you have lost faith in this city and<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You probably think, that you are such a pushover<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&#8217;ll tell you, you got fake<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it&#8217;s better for you to stay<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its been long since Moscow does not believe in tears<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here you will cry, they will give you a helping hand,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe think about it,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay here for real, it&#8217;s better for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, how you tremble<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God, how cold you are<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come with me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will unfreeze your legs<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will pour hot water into the basin<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come to me baby<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let me pick you up and take you with me,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Come, I will shelter you God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1 From the description of the event: \u00abPoets from five countries \u2014 Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Germany \u2014 are taking part in the project.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">The aim of the antiBabylon 2022 project is to create a free multilingual poetic space &#8211; 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 &#8220;PANDA platforma&#8221; with the support of the German Foreign Office and takes place in cooperation with local partner organizations, such as Pen Armenia&#8230; <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">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\u00bb.<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Protect\/ My mother from motherhood greater than mother\/ My father from my mother\/ My mother from my father\/ My father from being late for work&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tstyn_error":""},"categories":[66053,65988],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epress.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}