Post #1049334

Ameisenverteilungsmaschine — my disapproving mother tells me nobody wants to read poems about ant distribution machines in fact nobody wants to read poems at all they are unnecessary no one has ever heard of such a thing as a wealthy poet so it isn’t really worthwhile she tells me I should consider writing a best-selling novel or maybe the screenplay for a family saga if I insist on being difficult at least give the short story collection a go except she says all of this in German and the German word for ant distribution machine is Ameisenverteilungsmaschine I decide it is now my favourite word I decide to write the poem to be poor and obscure it will be a poem of defiance about what at first seems like a nonsense invention who would buy such a useless machine who needs help distributing ants they are not very popular pets but here’s the beauty of my Ameisenverteilungsmaschine it actually turns the critters into lovely new shapes tiny giraffes little kangaroos and cows a miniature camel small enough to make it through the ear of a largeish needle — Laura Theis, _Poetry_ April 2022