Poem, LONDON
Feb 24, 2022
Oh Jane
by Otis Mensah
followed by a feeling
stalked
stark
jump to the sky and swallowed by the ceiling
but my potential never did align with reality
I know everyone talks about the power of the centred
present moment but
some of my most treasured segments of time were spent in episodes of
nostalgic bliss and reminiscence
so I could never deny them their imperative
I thought I was mourning moments in time
and then it struck me
I was mourning the people that defined those moments
some moments experienced feel as though they
hold existence as individual lifetimes within the life in which we live now
these lives are where we love
Sometimes I feel like happiness is a fleeting visitor
only in town for the night
she’s gone before I wake
most mornings I overslept
most days
I miss her
嗚呼 ジェーン
オーティス・メンサ
訳 石田瑞穂
つきまとう
気分につきまとわれる
まとうものなく
空へジャンプし蒼天にのまれ
でもリアルにとどかぬ俺のポテンシャル
みんな話してるって知ってる
中心化する今のチカラ けれど
俺の宝は時のカケラ
ノスタルジックな歓びと追憶の挿話たちに
そう命じられても拒めなかったから
あの時を悼むのに間にあった
つもりであっとなる
俺が悼んだのはやつらあの頃を定義
し俺たちがすごした
時間を今ここで生き愛しあうのとは個別の人生みたく実在を
固定するやつら
時には幸せを逃げ去るビジターのように感じて
夜しか街にいない
彼女は俺が起きるまえに行っちまい
ほとんど毎朝 俺は寝坊して
ほとんど毎日
彼女が恋しくて
注
JANEは、日本語の氏名でいう鈴木や佐藤のごとき(失敬!)限りなく匿名にちかい固有名である。たとえば、英語でJane Doe(ジェーン某)は身元不明女性の仮名として屡々つかわれる。
Otis Mensah
Otis Mensah, self-proclaimed mum’s house philosopher and rap psalmist, offers an alternative take on contemporary Hip-Hop and spoken word. Endeavouring to shed light on existential commonalities through vulnerable expression, Otis’s work reads like a stream-of-consciousness moving through worlds of thought.
Otis releases music independently, taking creative projects like Rap Poetics to the stage around the UK and Europe, as well as making his debut at Glastonbury Music Festival. Otis has opened for heavyweights like Benjamin Zephaniah, Arrested Development, The Sugarhill Gang, Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest,Lowkey, Open Mike Eagle, Chali 2na and Blu & Exile.