I mentioned having written a riff on the Margaret Wise Brown classic GOODNIGHT MOON, focusing on Franz Kafka. It is, as of yet, not illustrated. I may get around to that sometime in the future. And I have been picking away at my own translation of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” for the last couple of years. Perhaps, once finished with both projects, I will collect them together and release them. Anyway, no reason not to share this, as I have no plans on shopping it around. Enjoy.

GOODNIGHT KAFKA

In the great gray gloom

There was a kafkaroach

And a bug cocoon

And a painting of—

A man contemplating his doom

And there were three faceless

Stacks of paranoid tracts

And two helpless victims

Abused by the system

And a crumbling house

And an oversized louse

And a castle, and notepad, and a man who is sad

And a dominating father whispering “bad”

Goodnight gloom

Goodnight Kafka

Goodnight man contemplating his doom

Goodnight roach

And the bug cocoon

Goodnight stacks

Goodnight tracts

Goodnight victims

Goodnight systems

Goodnight insurance agent

And goodnight engagement

Goodnight crumbling house

And goodnight louse

Goodnight castle

And goodnight pad

Goodnight nobody

Goodnight man

And goodnight to the dominating father whispering “bad”

Goodnight axe

Goodnight frozen sea

Goodnight cruel reality