Borben Vladović Poems

Razrezan po cijeloj dužini trbuha
skalpelom studenta medicine
brod-restaurant, postavljen ploštimice
na kuhinjsku dasku za sitnjenje
peršina i sjećanja na plovidbe
Vade mu crijeva, jetrica, svu iznutricu
kako bi mogao biti nadjeven
kasnim gostima lučkoga grada
i ponekim studentom s još
nepoloženim ispitom iz anatomije
Ono uže, na kraju svake
priručne kuharske daske,
vezuje brod-restaurant posljednjim
privezom u luci kod odsjaja pročelja
upravnih zgrada pomorskoga poduzeća
...

U brodskome dimnjaku suše se
pusti oceanski mokri dani
pribodeni oštricom pramca
kao leptiri na plutu zoologa
u mornarev šaroliki dnevnik

Brodski dimnjak je nos
na licu portretiranoga infanta
koji gordo konjem prolazi
kroz ratni metež s kojeg se
još toplo oružje, puši i dimi

Zvižduk što ispušta brodski dimnjak
u prolazu pokraj zavičaja
kao gospodar odbjeglome psu
svojom magličastom moći
zastire, zamjenjuje očište
da se svi zajedno vinu u zrak
...

In the ship's chimney the desolate
ocean days were drying wet days
pinned down by the blade of the ship's bow
like butterflies under the zoologist's cork
in the sailor's colourful diary.

The ship's chimney is a nose
on the face of a portrayed heir to a throne
boldly riding his horse through
the turmoil of war from which
warm arms are still smoking and steaming.

The ship's chimney whistles
passing by the homeland
like a master to a runaway dog
and with its foggy power
veils and changes the standpoint
so that everybody can fly up in the air together
...

Njegovi prsti bubnjaju po stolu
njegovi prsti kovitlaju pseću dlaku
kao prestrašeni đak svoju kosu
Sram sputava vještinu animalista
strah da bezglasna glina neće zalajati
Otvara prozor u nadi da mu kažu
skrućene smrznute krošnje
odakle to mreškanje bez vjetra
letenje pseće dlake
bijele zjenice koje plamte
Zaključao je vrata i zarežao
na sva svoja i tuđa očekivanja
...

With his fingers he is drumming on the table
whirling the dog's hair with his fingers
like a frightened schoolboy with his curls
Shame restrains the craft of an animalist's
fear that voiceless clay will not bark.
He is opening the window in the hope that
rigid frozen branches would tell him
from where comes that windless rippling
the flying of the dog's hair
white eyeballs in flames.
He locked the door and growled
at all his and others' expectations
...

Umrtvljen ispred luke
osoljen još od valova Atlantskog oceana
teretni, kao nos od sunca oljušten, brod
iz helikoptera čini se s gradom
tvori zajedničku sliku
No njihova udaljenost je velika
poput staroga mornara i njegove mladosti
u ovoj istoj luci kišne Venecije
Gleda mornar u nepromijenjenu panoramu
u te razvedene, lijepe, mokre i uspravne
škatule štavljenoga kartona
Pomišlja, treba li i ovaj put otići
među venozni splet gradskih ulica
nalik njegovim nabreklim modrim žilama
na listu neishodane noge
Mjeri udaljenost broda od grada:
može se malim čamcem
a i preplivati se nekada moglo
ali prema onoj sićušnoj zgradi s kupolom
na pola puta do njezina gata
namreškalo se more u obliku otiska
njegova palca prvi put otisnutog
na venecijanskoj staklenoj ruži
...

Numbed in front of the harbour
still salty from the Atlantic Ocean waves,
like a nose peeled by the sun,
from the helicopter, the cargo ship together
with the town made a picture, it seems.
But the distance between them is too large
like the old sailor and his youth
in this same harbour of rainy Venice.
The sailor observes an unchanged panorama
those elaborate, nice, wet and upright
boxes made from leathery cardboard.
He thinks, should I even this time go
into the veined pattern of the streets
that look like swollen blue veins
on the calf of his slow-walking leg.
He is measuring the distance from the ship to the town:
a small boat would do
and once it was possible to swim across
but towards that tiny building with the dome
half way to its pier
the sea wrinkles just like his
thumbprint for the first time stamped
on the Venetian glass rose
...

Siromaška dvorišta uz prugu
presijecaju
užeta s rubljem koje se suši
Suše se mokra ženska srca
i hlače smrznutih nogavica
Kloparaju
vagoni u čijim odraznim prozorima
rublje leprša i putuje
umjesto njihovih vlasnika
Putnici
daju si vezati oči, ruke
uši, ista, ali ne i nos
da bi namirisali svoje odredište
puno spremljenog rublja
...

Backyards of the poor by the railway
were cut by
washing lines with clothes drying.
Women's wet hearts were drying
and the frozen legs of trousers.
Train carriages were
making a noise and in their reflecting windows
clothes were fluttering and travelling
instead of their owners.
Passengers
get their eyes, hands, ears,
mouths covered, but not their noses
so they can smell their destination
piled with neat clothes
...

Koluti starih guma naslagani
poput vjenčića na svadbenoj torti
Dva prerano odrasla dječaka
naslonjeni na vrata u
nimalo svečanoj odori kao u koroti
za tim odbačenim bivšim
gutačima cesta i kilometara
Iz barake i dvorišta
širi se jaki miris vulkaniziranja gume
krpaju se, ugađaju stare strune
Za elastičnost i čvrstoću zaduženi
njih dvojica stražarski ponovno stoje na porti
gledaju spremni s odsutni
u prolazeće oblake i ljude
čekajući presudu raskošne krošnje lipe
hoće li ih taj miris osuditi ili
osloboditi pa skreću noseve prema poroti
...