poetry in action features work by poets from around the world, translated into English.
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2 poems from Aase’s Death by Aase Berg
translated by Johannes Göransson
pre-order now at Black Ocean Press!
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Tired Energy
150 meters down
at the bottom it is always 39 degrees
i.e. November
with no visibility,
sediments of sludge
Suddenly something moves a little —
is it a spaceworm?
Or a wormhole?
A body, a foot,
a crown of tentacles
surrounds “the mouth”
The air hose slackens,
the clock clucks shakily,
deep down in the dim star cluster,
the midnight zone’s purple glow
Those of us who really want to max out
life do not long for greatness
Instead we make ourselves small,
used-up, pointless,
remote-controlled and dreamed
But hello
we’re still gonna die
Trött energi
150 meter ner
på botten är det alltid 4°
Dvs november
med obefintligt siktdjup,
sediment av grummel
Nu rör sig något svagt –
är det en rymdmask?
Eller ett maskhål?
En kropp, en fot,
en krona av tentakler
omger ”munnen”
Luftslangen slackar,
klockan kluckar ostadigt,
djupt nere dunkel stjärnhop,
midnattszonens purpurglöd
Vi som verkligen vill maxa
livet längtar inte efter storhet
Vi gör oss tvärtom små,
förgångna, meningslösa,
fjärrstyrda och drömda
Men hallå,
vi hade dött ändå
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Monday in the Mariana Trench
Everyone’s an enemy
Everyone’s a prey
The specific features disappear
as general aging overtakes
people’s faces
Negotiation is an art form, not a science
Sometimes hostages are killed
Meanwhile, someone sits on a toilet
smoking weed and chilling as best he can
We built a maze of furniture
Someone else built a bomb out of lighters
It was fucking lonely
Måndag i Marianergraven
Alla är fiender
Alla är byten
Det specifika utseendet försvinner
och den generella ålderdomen tar över
i en människas ansikte
Förhandling är en konstform, inte en vetenskap.
Ibland dödas gisslan.
Under tiden sitter nån på toa och
röker weed och chillar så gott han kan
Vi gjorde en labyrint av möbler
Nån byggde en bomb av tändare
Det var jävligt ensamt
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Swedish poet Aase Berg began her artistic trajectory as a member of the radical organization, the Surrealist Group of Stockholm. Her books include With Deer (2009), Dark Matter (2013), and Hackers (2017). She is considered one of the most influential and unique poets in Sweden, earning her translations into English and various European languages as well.
Johannes Göransson is the author of nine books of poetry in English, including Summer, and the translator of several books by Swedish poets. He is the co-editor of Action Books and teaches at the University of Notre Dame.