观众--康妮.温克

多么善良的人们啊！
人群中真心希望绷紧
的绳索会断的人多么少啊。

稀罕的是要射杀教皇
或朝撒谎者扔鞋子的人，
然而加入进来了--那是自然。

圣保罗教堂的 麻雀般的观众
很容易厌倦，很容易受惊。
他们四处传播一种亵渎上帝的言论。

即使一只有教养的狗也会
申斥过程中打鼾
虽然他醒来会以精明的

眼光追踪点心。
但人们，尤其是明尼苏达州人，
把他们的衣袖套到他们的手表上

想要找到一种喜欢你的方式
如果他们能耐心听完布道，
他们也可能心不在焉地听你叨叨。
How kind people are!
How few in the crowd truly hope
the tightrope will break.

Rare’s the man who’ll shoot the Pope
or throw his shoe at a liar,
though joining in—that’s natural.

An audience of St. Paul’s sparrows
is easily bored, easily frightened.
One blasphemy and off they fly.

Even a polite dog will snore
through reprimands,
though he’ll rouse to follow

the refreshments with a calculating eye.
But people, especially Minnesotans,
pull their sleeves over their watches

and want to find a way to like you.
If they can sit through winter’s sermons,
they can sit through you.
“Audience” by Connie Wanek from Rival Gardens. © University of Nebraska Press, 2016