Have you ever?

Have you ever

borrowed someone else's memory

told it like it was your own

maybe added some details you invented

to make it seem more realistic

as if it had happened to you personally?

Have you come home without saying hi to your partner

told her to get all this crap out of the hallway

even though it's 2 am

and the neighbors are sick and tired

of listening to your bickering,

whether the bookcase should be moved into the front room or not

and should it have black Ikea drawers, or green?

Have you ever blacked out in a cab without your wallet

after a Christmas party

just skipped work the next day

complained about back pain at the doctor's appointment

a pain that started last week

but kept getting worse

probably because of the freezing weather

or from helping your friend move recently?

Have you ever worked for the city

smoked a cigarette in shame

two blocks from the office

and wondered on your lunch break

why your colleague can stuff his face at Mickey D's

without your boss calling him a lard-ass

or a bad person

even though he's just as guilty of ruining his health

with his triple cheeseburger?

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror

and noticed those tiny pinpricks in your skin

sat back and thought "It'll be fine"

with dark circles under your eyes

waiting for the first tram of the day

the timetable so frostbitten

that you're not sure whether to just run the distance

or wait a few more minutes for the number Six?

Have you forgotten to water the plants

or to pick up some coffee from the corner shop,

have you skipped a big meeting

even though you agreed to it months ago

knocked back a few cold ones on the way home

even though the rent is due the next day

and you can't even afford a box of matches?

Have you ever been at the bank

talking to an investment adviser your own age,

lied about your plans to purchase property

even though in all honesty

grandma's inheritance has to be cashed right now

because you're pretty much up the river,

up to here in debt to all your friends

and even to the kind of people

you shouldn't owe money to?

Have you ever actually even considered

what it's like to be psyched

when the grocery store intern

lets you rifle through the backyard dumpster,

lay your hands on wrapped discs of microwave pizzas

that spin as beautifully as a Mozart symphony

and you're all ready on the couch

when you hear that familiar ding

and notice that this classic snack from 1985

looks quite a bit fresher than you

even though you're exactly the same age?

Translation: Kasper Salonen