Ddssynder trr ni mig nnu?

by Eva Strm
Ddssynder trr ni mig nnu?
Vrede vill du blomma i mig?
Vill du driva blodet till mina kinder
och f mitt hjrta att accelerera.
Avundets korta sting,
vill du trffa mig,
lta mig ffngt f rasa
efter ett annat liv.
Jag vill knna hgmodet och g
med hgmodets vadderade ncacke,
jag vill knna den beska lskogens sta sting i min kropp,
och vila en stund p smickrarnas ockerslda mattor.
Jag vill knna hur slugheten fr min hjrna att arbeta
och hur omttligheten griper tag i mig i ett vllustigt begr.
Ddssynder trr ni mig?
Kan ni nnu verka i mig?
*
Deadly Sins, Do You Still Want Me?
Deadly sins, do you still want me?
Wrath, do you want to bloom in me?
Want to drive blood into my cheek
and make my heart accelerate.
Envy, short sting
do you want to smack me,
churn in mevain rampages
after my next lonely life.
I want to feel pride and run
with prides stiff neck,
I want to feel the bitter sweet sting of sex in my body
and rest in the moment on flatterys shaggy carpet.
I want to feel how cunning works in my brain
and how excess grips me and touches me with desire.
Deadly sins, do you still want me?
Can you still work in me?
***
Utan skicklighet men med frmga
by Johanna Ekstrm
Utal skicklighet men med frmga
lyfter du mig ur ledsnaden
Ytterst sakta

som visste du
att det som rycks upp
kan tappa ngot
p vgen
*
Without Skill But With Strength
Without skill but with strength
you lifted me out of my grief
Utterly calm
as one who knew
that to snatch a thing up
allows little bits
to drop away
***
Vad hnder minns
by Johanna Ekstrm
armarna lngs sidorna
det kan se ut som om man vntar
de stora orden
sover under
handens flata
en karamell som sugs
till flisa
orden r som glas
en sticka under nageln
Vem har dtt av krlek
I fodret sover alla barnen
torkade om mun och gon
de har ingen mun dr mun skall vara
inte blick dr blick skall vara
Vem har vl frlitat sig p sjlva skadan
Ur dessa hnder kan eldar lpa
knnetecken brnnas bort
Hnder faller som tulpanblad
sveper bort ett anletsdrag
Som hnder gr i smnen

de minns sin ensamhet

Hon lgger bladen ver barnen
tcker dem med handens flata
Ingen har dtt av krlek
Det finns en motvind som jag aldrig knt
*
What Hands Remember
arms at sides
appear as if they are waiting
the large words
sleep under
palms
a hard candy is sucked
till slivered
glass words like
splinters under fingernails
Who has died of love?
In the coffin lining all the children sleep
mouth and eye wiped dry
their mouths are not where mouths should be
dont see what they should see
Who isnt convinced of their own harm?
These empty hands flare
birthmarks burned away
Hands fall as tulip leaves
sweep away the faces features
Hands jolt in sleep
remembering their loneliness
She lays a blossom over the children
covers them with the palm of her hand
No one has died of love
There is a storm like I have never felt.

Download the podcast

Eva Strm was born in 1947 and lives in Kristianstad, in southern Sweden. She made her
literary debut in 1977 with the poetry collection Den brinnande zeppelinaren. Strm trained
as a physician and worked in the medical profession from 1974 to 1988 before becoming a
full-time author. She has recently translated Shakespeares complete Sonnets into the
Swedish language, which was reviewed in the Swedish newspaper, SvD.
Johanna Ekstrm was born in Stockholm in 1970. She is a writer and visual artist who has
presented at galleries around Sweden. Her work includes a short story collection Vad vet jag
om hllfasthet (What do I know of stability) and seven books of poetry.
Carol Bergs poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Artifice, The Flea, Fifth Wednesday
Journal, Pebble Lake Review, Rhino, blossombones, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from
Stonecoast and an MA in English Literature.