vo änge schterne ond ehrne ängscht
schänkt me de medie blend gloube, chönnt me dänke, en apokalypse schtöig eus aune bevor:
masse vo mönsche verlöhnd ehri heimat,
“die chöme zo öis!”
“schliessed schnäu eusi tor!”
a neujohr begrabsche si z’köln eusi froue,
de räscht vom johr sends am bombe boue.
leider werd d’realität nor onnötig verzerrt, ond de börger duet schlächti news onguet verdoue.
was mer gsähnd am ändi vom tag send zahle, ned mönsche,
send böuder, ned gsechter.
eusi mönschheit verseit.
statt z’öffne eusi ouge ond härze,
ziemer d’schwärt,
ziend voreilig schlöss öber fouge ond schmärze,
ziend i dräck öisi humanitäre
traditione ond wärt.
…
i hautes do nöme us, I ha angscht om mis läbe, ha versuecht för das z’kämpfe, aber aues vergäbe.
de lärm vode bomber macht eus chrank – ide nacht semmer wach ond bätte, är ziili denäbe.
s’wasser werd knapp ond d’ratione gönd uus, set mönet ond woche gömmer nöm usem huus.
am nochber troui nöm ond am färnseh scho gar ned – i dem schlamassu chont jo eh kene drus.
de wäg zode arbet ond de schuele esch gsperrt, drom hani mis outo zomne schpottpriis verchouft.
d’rebelle ond verbrächer mache d’schtrosse onsecher – mini schtadt werd zom ort, wo sech niemer verlouft.
do esch aues so suuber, ond d’strosse send greglet!
s’outo macht haut för die, wo z fuess onterwägs send!
die lüüt wo eus häufe send wie ängu im hemmu,
ond trotz de böuder i mim chopf, beni froh, dasi schlof fend!
eusi chend gönd id schueu, spele weder im freie.
i be sogar sorgefrei, wenn’s i waud gönd go wandre!
aber langsam verträgi weder s’ewige metleid vo de einte,
no de hass ond die schtächende bleck vode andre.
ond met jedem tag wiicht d’freud öber d’secherheit
‘nere verzwiiflig öber dä eländ iipfärchti zueschtand.
was machi denn met au minre energie? mine plän?
wi brengi eso mine chend reschpäkt bi ond aschtand?
…
wenn
hämer afo akzeptiere, dass es uf charte zeichneti linie send, wo eus onterscheide, jo gar definiere?
wenn
hämer afo gloube, dass e mönsch nor denn eine esch, wener ou e pass het ond e hymne?
wenn
hämmer ufghört z’verträte, was mönschlech korrekt esch ond ned nor im inträsse vom schtaat?
dä hyper-patriotismus, die xenophobie,
die idee vo mim hüsli ond garte, woni wine könig regiere.
die ängschternige, ethnozentrische asechte,
die hautig, dass d’ärde in basu afoht ond ufhört im tessin,
ond dass das, wo osserhaub vo eusne gränze passiert,
eus doch nüt agoht.
das aues tuet mer weh,
macht mer angscht, andersch uszgseh
imne ziitauter vo chaute, verschlossne, verbländete lüüt.
ned e “flöchtling”, es “opfer”, e “lascht”, e “kollision”,
sondern e mönsch met härzbluet ond ‘nere vision.
es goht om meh, as nor füettere ond öberdache,
es goht drom, chance z’gäh ond au zäme z’lache.
dä mönsch mues döfe sech met lüt do vernetze,
schtatt dass me ehm duet d’tör vor de nase zueschletze.
euse täglech omgang duet onmessverschtändlechi zeiche setze,
mer gschtaute höt ond jetzt d’zuekonft vode schwiiz I zwänzg johr.
heisse mer si muetig wöukomme as gäscht?
oder vertriibe mer si,
nähnd si wohr aus gfohr?
uf jede fau söus eus ned erstuune,
wenn s’chend, wo mer höt düend uszuune,
eus morn ned gärn het.
.
.
.
Words will never be able to purvey the same feelings or ideas, let alone paint the same mental picture, once they are translated into another language. This is merely a translation of the original text, devoid of any artistic elements – i hope the idea does not suffer from it too much! Thank you for your support.
…
Blind believers in the media would think the apocalypse was imminent:
Masses of people are leaving their homeland,
“they are coming to us!”
“shut the gates, quick!”
on new year’s eve they grope our women,
the rest of the year they spend building bombs.
This distortion of reality is sad and uncalled for, and bad news do not sit well with the citizen.
What we see at the end of the day are numbers, not human beings,
images, not faces.
humanity is failing.
Instead of opening our eyes and our hearts,
we pull our swords,
draw premature conclusions about the consequences and the pain,
drag our humanitarian traditions and values through the mire.
…
I can’t stand this any longer, I am afraid for my life. I have tried to fight for this, but to no avail.
The sound of the bombers is making us sick – at night we stay awake and pray for them to miss.
Water is getting scarce and the food packs too – for months and weeks we have not left our home.
I don’t trust my neighbour anymore, let alone the television – nobody understands anything in this whole mess, anyway.
The way to work and to the schools is barricaded, that is why I sold my car for a knocked-down price.
The rebels and the criminals make our streets unsafe – my city becomes a place where no one gets lost.
Here, everything is clean and the streets are organised! The cars stop for the pedestrians!
The people who are helping us are like angels from heaven, and despite the images in my head, I am glad I can sleep again!
Our kids go to school, they play outside – I am even careless when they go for a stroll in the forest!
But gradually I cannot bear any longer that infinite sympathy of some, nor the hatred and the piercing looks of others.
With every day, our relief about the new-won safety gives way to frustration over this miserably pent-up state of being.
What should I do with all my energy? My plans? How can I teach my kids respect and politeness like this?
When
have we started to accept that it is lines drawn on maps that differentiate us, even define us?
When
have we started to believe that a human being is only one when they have a passport and an anthem?
When
have we stopped standing up for what is right for humanity and not what’s right for the state?
This hyper-patriotism, this xenophobia,
This idea of my home with my garden, where I rule like a king.
These narrow-minded, ethnocentric views,
This attitude, that the world starts in basel and ends in tessin,
And that whatever happens outside our borders is none of our business.
All this pains me a lot,
makes me afraid to look different in an age of
cold, closed-minded, blinded people.
Not a “refugee”, a “victim”, a “burden” or a “collision”,
But a human being with lifeblood and a vision.
It’s about more than simply feeding and sheltering,
It is about giving opportunities and laughing together.
This human needs to be able to connect with others here,
instead of having the door smashed in front of his nose.
our daily behaviour sends messages that can hardly be misunderstood.
we are building now and today the future of Switzerland in twenty years,
are we welcoming them courageously as guests?
or are we chasing them away,
seeing them merely as a threat?
At the end of the day, it shall not surprise us,
if the child that we are excluding today,
does not like us tomorrow.