A visitor’s guide to Leiden

In this town there are bats,
Bats in churches who squat without permits,
All of them know where the bells are now,
(they are up there)
All of them have teeth.

In this town there are racoons on two feet,
Racoons on two feet in coffeeshops without their shoes on,
All of them know where the best show is now,
(just past the botanical gardens)
All of them have teeth.

In this town there are fishes with aprons,
Fishes with aprons in the market yelling at the cats,
All of them know how to count coins now,
(with their fins)
All of them have teeth.

In this town there are staircases without handrails,
Staircases without handrails in houses without windows,
All of them know how to trap young women now,
(by tripping them over)
All of them have teeth.

In this town there are boyfriends without friends,
Boyfriends without friends trying to make friends in the park,
All of them fail to see each other now,
(because they are blind),
All of them have teeth.

In this town there are streets without buildings,
Without buildings these streets become one another,
All of them cannot be labelled now,
(it’s all one big plaza),
All of them have teeth.

Artwork by Enrico Baj, "General Schwartz," 1961