Contrasts Poem by Hendrik Rost

Once, during the credits, when
a foul was repeated, only then
did I see between the players

a magpie taking off from the lawn

in a panic. Momentarily distracted,
the picture followed its flight in slow motion
while the hullabaloo

in the background became blurred

until the camera abruptly
broke away from its spell
and focussed again on the falling bodies.

Translated by Hans-Christian Oeser and Gabriel Rosenstock