A small thesis on interpretation

Animals help one another. It doesn’t always show
but if you go out while freshly fallen snow is on the ground
you will often be able to follow a trail. For instance
you may see the tiny traces of a running mouse.
A little further on perhaps you find another and bigger trail
cross the path of the mouse. Often now it will appear
that the larger animal has helped the smaller animal on its way
through the troublesome snow, since only the larger track
continues. The animals help one another like that.

Peter Nielsen, 2003.

A ROSE IS A

(Poetical manifesto)

a rose is a streetlight is a
figure skating dancer is a pennywhistle
is a thumb is a blueprint which
is the formula for a circuit is an
object is a train of thought is a hair drying helmet
is a coconut is a candlelight
is a fireball is a rose
is the white glow inside the flower
the one that drips from it when it dies

Johannes L Madsen, 1975

quickly i write
 � � �forward towards slow
 � � and after that
slowly forward towards fast
i write
too slow too fast
and vice versa
and write write and
write write slowly
and write fast and
write and write
i write
 � �  � �  � � fast and slow
write slow slowly
write fast fast
 but write write slowly
 slowly fast
and write fast fast fast slowly
write write write
and write and write
write write fast
and write write
and write slowly
while i write write
 � �  � �  � � write write
 � �  � � and write
 � �  � � and write
 � �  � �  � � write write
fast
 � �  � � and write write
 � �  � � and write
slowly

fast and slowly
i wrote i write
fast and slowly


Johannes L Madsen, 1968

i think of an image
with the smell of a poem

spell so green
as is almost not possible

gracefully write a girl
who moves
falls in love with her

builds me a world
of words
i walk into


Johannes L Madsen, 1968

she smiles with her nails
she speaks with her stomach
she thinks with her tongue
she lies with both hands
she signals with her freckles
she reads with her nose
she sees best with her mouth
she listens with her skin
she flies with her eye lashes
she’s busy with her heels
she’s quiet with her hair
she sleeps mostly with her back
she eats with her thighs
she grows with the children
she is with men

Johannes L Madsen, 1968

the snow is white
as tenderness
the silence tender
as darkness

the darkness is heavy
as the sea
the sea mirror shiny
as the sky

the sky is blue
as happiness
happiness is white
as snow

the snow is red


Johannes L Madsen, 1968

20/4
About above (across actually) after afterwards again all almost alone. Along already, also always around as back barely before behind. Besides: between briefly bright down each either enough especially even everywhere. Finally forward! Further henceforth here herein home how immediately in - indeed inside. Just late, left likewise long maybe. Merely naturally. Nay, near neither never ... not now obviously. Often on once only otherwise out. Outside over partly precisely rather right since so some somewhere soon still straight suddenly. Sure then. There thereafter, therefore thither thus to together - unfortunately up usually. Well. When where why wide willingly? Withal within without. Yet.
(100 essential words: adverbs.)

Adapted from Thomas Thøfner & Morten Søndergaard, 1998

THE UMBRELLAS UNDERGROUND

The umbrellas underground have opened
just enough so that we here in chairs
with our huge ears raised up in the air
whisper goosefleshed: the umbrellas
underground have opened their plastic screens!
and we chase the children up in the ears
with cloths and wonder polish: brush and furbish!
the umbrellas down there have already opened
soon we’ll be sitting here with no tea
while tapes and movies pour down on us!

Per Højholt, 1977

Outside

exit backwards at the top & start from below
back & can’t find any room & must give way &
be placed one by one while we ourselves draw
to go but they’re very hard to fit in & must
are almost finished we only have twelve more
but absolutely packed and completely safe we
yes I mean above they’re thin & very brittle
you know firmer than those on the other side
certainly no less thick but are tighter like
down by the weight of those on top which are
sure are heavy enough especially when pushed
to pick from they’re a little more plump and
mount a foundation for the ones we now start
will enter can we place the lower one & thus
but only when we have made sure that nothing
we start from the bottom and work our way up

Per Højholt 1966

mobile

the snow is snow
and it snows
the snow is snow
and it writes
the writing is snow
and it writes
the snow is writing
and it snows
the writing is writing
and it snows
the snow is writing
and it writes








the writing is writing
and it writes


Hans-Jørgen Nielsen 1965

LIGHTNING STRIKES IN A CAB

Lightning strikes in a cab: hey Benjamin, let’s go!
jeeezuz christ on an horse what a wedding night! imagine
she caught me in a table top and the quickest way out
was via the leg of course, but 6512 words is one serious handicap
so it cracked and now i’m in deep trouble: ba back to
the museum, Benjamin, devil take that Missy Thunderbolt

Per Højholt, 1977