Effi Briest; German-Language Polaroid Poem by Thomas Kling

1
endless telephone calls and clay;
at which appear ('where, at what please? ')
the in
slants the exposures, the more bulging albums: o
vale photographs, breakfasted-on myrtles;
limitations, uncomplicit tongues ('never learnt that') ,
clogged rinse/inlet got it, in the
startup it disappears, has already disappeared heart
tattoo holiday ammunition PINING although BUILT-
IN CUPBOARDS, BEDROOM DOG NEW CARPET (here
near-quotation: 'look at the photo wallpaper, super screen
on installments look at that...') : WHERE'S IT ALL GONE WRONG THEN


2
effi gets from her husband 1 washing machine, electr.
tin-opener, bodystockings (=‘modern apron') and words;
e. as (contra) word machine, that says yearningyearning
to herself; effi turns herself into a tear-off calendar, and
fills up her family album (...) NOW,
BLUISH, UNPHOTOGRAPHED:
'who looked str
ange to me right away because they had wrapped
bandaids round three or four times & then tied a knot and no
bow they were looking quite yellow already'


3
pill eyes, in between barbecues or similar (toughest transparencies) ,
it just chugs straight down BIRDAYS, FILM RIPS, also
something that piles up HE (to a friend) : WHAT GOES
WRONG IN LIFE QUESTION MARK IT'S ALWAYS
THE WARMTH

Translation Andrew Duncan