Applause for the city of Antwerp poet, who resigns after refusing to write a critical poem

Ransom

Oil, stupid oil state these students from the age of twelve
always literally labeled with “A” or “B”. Welcome to high school!

A question to Flanders: when will society be completely flat?
Is this when notaries and senators go on strike? Or if the plumbers,
bakers and dockers don’t show up?

Oh indeed! The earth is upside down when the roofers talk,
when all the tradesmen clean their shovel, when the nannies
put on the diapers themselves, when the cooks send their cats to Nam Fong,
Mr. Spaghetti and all the boarding schools.

And who’s smarter now, someone who knows where the Aconcagua is
(question from The Smartest Person Alive) or who can draw the whole flowchart
and play for a school kitchen, the Sportpaleis, the meeting rooms of the Wetstraat?
Someone who knows how much a flamingo weighs or someone who can operate a winch
without the bomma falling on cold tiles before the lights go out?

We should talk about ministers A and B. Then they would do
maybe understand what it does. Like we were second choice
as if learning a trade could only be a plan B
because when the direction A, someone does not lie, does not go.

Soon you, Flanders, will demand a ransom again for the word “intelligent”
that you held hostage for centuries, reserved for quizzers only,
for doctors, architects, scientists, for Ms. Michiels and lawyers.

While we stair builders calculate the slope, the ideal distance between the steps. Can you do that, Flanders? And do you know everything, like us mechanics, about the correct camshaft bolt tension or how to replace the timing belt?
for perfect valve timing?

As long as you, Flanders, don’t also call the clever craftsman
in newspapers, game shows and news,
you are not worth the A’s in your name Flandre.

Ruth Lasters, written in collaboration with Kelvin Kamau, Miguel Angel, Charlotte Sibaers, Amber Serresen, Nyano Van Mechelen and Inne Michiels from the Spectrum School in Deurne.