Poem
Anne Penders
The Reverse (Fragment 2)
The reverse, cruel.Blinds the dazel of the day.
At the foot of the birch, the mourning.
From now on, words will have to be torn away from me.
Unless they fall, by themselves / dry boughs, rotten fruits, old skins.
Absence occurred.
A death with no body. A house with no voice.
The reverse, is this. The loss ——————————— of the voice, of her.
There will be no other sentences than those already said / inexorable fading
———————————————— of time.
The reverse has known other clashes, other places, other laughs.
Serene splendor of automn forests. Butter noodles.
Her place at the table. [I don’t know how to say « you » to someone who is no longer]
The loss. Immense. Inexpressible.
The reverse / what we will no longer say, what hasn’t been said —————————————
–––––– the tears choked back, the stifled strength of a call, the void swallowing everything / even the sea, helpless.
The silence of the reverse. Cloaked in falsehoods.
Continue to eat, sleep, walk.
The marsh-reverse only engulfs the inside.
But there is a before and an after.
We can name the pivot ——————————————— the pillar is no more.
The reverse has seen other things / won’t see anything else anymore.
The reverse-mortal / never ends being reborn.
Russian dolls, mirror palace. The reverse sinks, goes by, returns.
Always as if nothing.
Every mask takes aways some allure from audacity.
Every ghost comes out of the closet, less naked.
[the sleep of a long rest . . . missing.]
——————————————————
——————————————————
The reverse of mourning.
The platform.
Those places you leave — accompanied.
Her words embodied in the mouth of another.
Abundance of signs ––——–––––––––––––––– denies desertion.
Thread tied to thread, confirms.
Clarity of what follows.
The reverse of mourning.
Daily presence.
Tears choked back / flowed. ——————————————————
——————————— on the mountain, the need to shout.
The reverse-ritual, the reverse-habitat / knows the way.
——————————————————
© Translation: 2012, Anne Penders and Philip Waters
l\'envers (extrait 2)
l\'envers (extrait 2)
L’envers cruel.Éborgne l’éclat du jour.
Au pied du bouleau, le deuil.
Désormais, il faudra m’arracher les mots.
À moins qu’ils ne tombent, d’eux-mêmes / rameaux secs, fruits pourris, vieilles peaux.
L’absence advenue.
Une mort sans corps. Une maison sans voix.
L’envers, c’est ça. L’extinction ——————————— de voix, d’elle.
Il n’y aura plus d’autres phrases que celles déjà prononcées / inexorable effacement
———————————————— du temps.
L’envers a connu d’autres heurts, d’autres lieux, d’autres rires.
Splendeur sereine des forêts d’automne. Nouilles au beurre.
Sa place à table. [je ne sais pas dire « tu » à quelqu’un qui n’est plus]
La perte. Immense. Indicible.
L’envers / ce qu’on ne dira plus, ce qu’on n’a pas dit —————————————
–––––– les larmes ravalées, la force du cri étouffée, le vide où tout s’engouffre / même la mer, impuissante.
Le silence de l’envers. Enrobé de faux semblants.
Continuer de manger, de dormir, de marcher.
L’envers-marécage ne phagocyte que l’intérieur.
Mais il y a un avant et un après.
On peut nommer le pivot ———————————————le pilier n’est plus.
L’envers en a vu d’autres / ne verra plus rien d’autre.
L’envers-mortel / n’en finit plus de renaître.
Poupées russes, palais des glaces. L’envers s’enfonce, dépasse, revient.
Toujours le même air de rien.
Chaque masque dérobe un peu d’allure à l’audace.
Chaque fantôme sort moins nu du placard.
[le sommeil d’un long repos . . . manque.]
——————————————————
——————————————————
L’envers du deuil.
Le quai.
Ces lieux que l’on quitte — accompagnée.
Ses mots incarnés dans la bouche d’un autre.
L’abondance de signes ––——–––––––––––––––– dément l’abandon.
Le fil noué au fil confirme.
Clarté de la suite.
L’envers du deuil.
La présence au quotidien.
Les larmes retenues / écoulées ——————————————————
——————————— dans la montagne, la nécessité du cri.
L’envers-rituel, l’envers-habitat / connaît le chemin.
——————————————————
© 2012, Anne Penders
From: l\'envers
Publisher: Le Cormier, Brussels
From: l\'envers
Publisher: Le Cormier, Brussels
Poems
Poems of Anne Penders
Close
The Reverse (Fragment 2)
The reverse, cruel.Blinds the dazel of the day.
At the foot of the birch, the mourning.
From now on, words will have to be torn away from me.
Unless they fall, by themselves / dry boughs, rotten fruits, old skins.
Absence occurred.
A death with no body. A house with no voice.
The reverse, is this. The loss ——————————— of the voice, of her.
There will be no other sentences than those already said / inexorable fading
———————————————— of time.
The reverse has known other clashes, other places, other laughs.
Serene splendor of automn forests. Butter noodles.
Her place at the table. [I don’t know how to say « you » to someone who is no longer]
The loss. Immense. Inexpressible.
The reverse / what we will no longer say, what hasn’t been said —————————————
–––––– the tears choked back, the stifled strength of a call, the void swallowing everything / even the sea, helpless.
The silence of the reverse. Cloaked in falsehoods.
Continue to eat, sleep, walk.
The marsh-reverse only engulfs the inside.
But there is a before and an after.
We can name the pivot ——————————————— the pillar is no more.
The reverse has seen other things / won’t see anything else anymore.
The reverse-mortal / never ends being reborn.
Russian dolls, mirror palace. The reverse sinks, goes by, returns.
Always as if nothing.
Every mask takes aways some allure from audacity.
Every ghost comes out of the closet, less naked.
[the sleep of a long rest . . . missing.]
——————————————————
——————————————————
The reverse of mourning.
The platform.
Those places you leave — accompanied.
Her words embodied in the mouth of another.
Abundance of signs ––——–––––––––––––––– denies desertion.
Thread tied to thread, confirms.
Clarity of what follows.
The reverse of mourning.
Daily presence.
Tears choked back / flowed. ——————————————————
——————————— on the mountain, the need to shout.
The reverse-ritual, the reverse-habitat / knows the way.
——————————————————
© 2012, Anne Penders and Philip Waters
From: l\'envers
From: l\'envers
The Reverse (Fragment 2)
The reverse, cruel.Blinds the dazel of the day.
At the foot of the birch, the mourning.
From now on, words will have to be torn away from me.
Unless they fall, by themselves / dry boughs, rotten fruits, old skins.
Absence occurred.
A death with no body. A house with no voice.
The reverse, is this. The loss ——————————— of the voice, of her.
There will be no other sentences than those already said / inexorable fading
———————————————— of time.
The reverse has known other clashes, other places, other laughs.
Serene splendor of automn forests. Butter noodles.
Her place at the table. [I don’t know how to say « you » to someone who is no longer]
The loss. Immense. Inexpressible.
The reverse / what we will no longer say, what hasn’t been said —————————————
–––––– the tears choked back, the stifled strength of a call, the void swallowing everything / even the sea, helpless.
The silence of the reverse. Cloaked in falsehoods.
Continue to eat, sleep, walk.
The marsh-reverse only engulfs the inside.
But there is a before and an after.
We can name the pivot ——————————————— the pillar is no more.
The reverse has seen other things / won’t see anything else anymore.
The reverse-mortal / never ends being reborn.
Russian dolls, mirror palace. The reverse sinks, goes by, returns.
Always as if nothing.
Every mask takes aways some allure from audacity.
Every ghost comes out of the closet, less naked.
[the sleep of a long rest . . . missing.]
——————————————————
——————————————————
The reverse of mourning.
The platform.
Those places you leave — accompanied.
Her words embodied in the mouth of another.
Abundance of signs ––——–––––––––––––––– denies desertion.
Thread tied to thread, confirms.
Clarity of what follows.
The reverse of mourning.
Daily presence.
Tears choked back / flowed. ——————————————————
——————————— on the mountain, the need to shout.
The reverse-ritual, the reverse-habitat / knows the way.
——————————————————
© 2012, Anne Penders and Philip Waters
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