Istanbul Literary Review - September 2011 Edition (#21)
Istanbul Literary Review - September 2011 Edition (#21)
My Fantastic Pen
by
Niels Hav
Translated
by
P.K. Brask & Patrick Friesen
I prefer writing with a used pen found in the street
or with a promotional pen, gladly one from the electricians,
the gas station or the bank.
Not just because they are cheap (free),
but I imagine that such an implement
will fuse my writing with industry
the sweat of skilled labourers, administrative offices
and the mystery of all existence.
Once I wrote meticulous poems with a fountain pen
pure poetry about purely nothing
but now I like shit on my paper, tears and snot.
Poetry is not for sissies!
A poem must be just as honest as the Dow Jones index
- a mixture of reality and sheer bluff.
What has one grown too sensitive for? Not much.
That's why I keep my eye on the bond market
and serious pieces of paper. The stock exchange
belongs to reality – just like poetry.
And that's why I'm so happy about this ball point pen
from the bank, which I found one dark night
in front of a closed convenience store. It smells
faintly of dog piss, and it writes fantastically.
Istanbul Literary Review - September 2011 Edition (#21)
Niels Hav
Denmark
Niels Hav is a full time poet and short story writer with awards from The Danish Arts Council. In English
he has We Are Here , published by Book Thug, and poetry and fiction in numerous magazines including
The Literary Review, Shearsman , Exile , The Los Angeles Review and PRISM International.
Istanbul Literary Review - September 2011 Edition (#21)