I entered without words: Poems

Contents\nNote to Readers\nthe mother tongue licked me into being\nthat mare sometimes appeared\nl’eau se fait calme quelquefois\nnow silent becomes listen\nhave I attended the birds\nla montagne reflète la blessure\nswallows light in the open\nwhat kind of quest is this\nI like having nothing\nguest bed\non this green live languages graze\nmorning in a fog\nI still believe in the dark work of idleness\ncall it harvest\nthis heart of summer gleams\nwho is the girl I push so high\nqui est la fille que je pousse si haut\nmessy eater\nour young register damage in radiant flesh\nje quitte la maison d’être en plein vent du ciel\nunhinged I left the house to wind\nin my sickness the sky kept spinning\nwhat it means to be reduced\nspace is not matter\nthe poor hide what they can\nwho cooks for you awwwlll\nribs were the first rafters\nyour hand opens to wave\ndark was the night cold was the ground\nthe stone vault singing\nla chapelle en pierre chantant\nthat light out of darkness may rise\nover your cities the grasses will grow\nan artist’s best friend is time boredom sway\nis art the idling silence\nà l’art aigu de roche et ange\nmerci pour ces très belles ratures\nthank you for your very beautiful cross-outs\nwhy everything beautiful hurts\npourquoi toutes les belles choses piquent\nlost in lit screens the readers with their books\nlook back at me my love belong here\nlast goose\ndernière oie\na deficiency hollows places\nout of nowhere snow\npaper white\na stiff wind makes them more beautiful\nla mort n’a pas arasé l’espérance de la neige\ndeath has not eroded hope of snow\nI seek the cold mountain spring\nje cherche le motif glacé\nto knock with gentle barbarism\ntrouver la porte frapper entrer\ndes herbes folles\nwild grasses\nthe white flame sank offering only the gesture\nôté de la flamme elle lisait fumait\nle vent s’arrache de la langue maternelle exprime tout\nwind wrenches free her tongue\nevery being constitutes a probe employed in a new direction\nAcknowledgments\nPrinceton Series of Contemporary Poets