Visiting a museum

Joop Bersee


I see my mother
on the other side
of the window.

She is about thirty.
Five years before my birth.
She's in a desert -

The heat must be unbearable.
There are sharp rocks,
spiders, lizards,

snakes, scorpions.
She is wearing
a bikini. Her skin

is full of blisters.
She ages full blast.
Then she explodes

as simple as
a soap bubble.
There is a rattle

and her bleached
bones fall to the
ground.

What is all this?
Someone tells me
it is closing time.

I walk towards
the exit, get my
coat and hat.

It is almost dark
and a drizzle spoils
the walk home.

     


Joop Bersee was born in The Netherlands in 1958. His work  has been published in different countries and in a translation.  He's not looking for a publisher and works in a library in Amsterdam.

 

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