Applause for Antwerp city poet, who resigns after refusal to write a critical poem
Ransom
Oil, oil stupid state those students from the age of twelve
still literally with ‘A’ label of ‘B’. Welcome to high school!
A question to Flanders: when will society be completely flat?
Is that when the notaries and the senators deployed? Of like the plumbers,
the bakers and dock workers don’t show up?
Ah, indeed! The land is upside down when the roofers chatter,
when all the shopkeepers clean their shovel, when the nannies
put on the diapers themselves, when cooks send their cats to Nam Fong,
Mister Spaghetti and to all the boarding schools.
And who is the smartest now, someone who knows where the Aconcagua is
(question from The smartest person in the world) who can draw the entire flowchart
and perform for a school kitchen, the Sportpaleis, Wetstraat meeting rooms?
Someone who knows how much a flamingo counts or someone who can operate a hoist
without the bomma falling on cold tiles before the lights go out?
We should talk about A and B ministers. Then she would
maybe how understand. Like we’re second choice
if learning a craft can only be a plan B
for when the A-direction someone does not lie, does not go.
Soon you, Flanders, will ask money for the word ‘intelligent’
that thou hast held hostage for ages, reserved only for quizzers,
for doctors, architects, scientists, for Mrs. Michiels and lawyers.
While we, stair makers calculate the ideal distance between steps. Can you do that, Flanders? And you know everything, like us mechanics, about the correct tension on camshaft bolts or how to replace the timing belt
for perfect valve timing?
As long as you, Flanders, have not also cleverly included the craftsman
in newspapers, game shows and magazines,
you are not worth the A’s in your name Flanders.
Ruth Lasters, written in collaboration with Kelvin Kamau, Miguel Angel, Charlotte Sibaers, Amber Serresen, Nyano Van Mechelen and Inne Michiels of the Spectrum School in Deurne.