unfurling the
knot of unhealthy vigilance
unacceptable fineries
parading enchantment
of luscious lianas
lulled by a cajoling wind
a crass deceiver’s
evidence of crimes
supporting proofs of hatred
with fear interwoven
pitiful moans
braided into a fatal knot
the hangman’s rope sniggers
while binding heritage
and history
human parody
threatens us with extinction
miserable we crawl
much like slugs
in powdery lime
spread by the powerful
over all terrains
entire cities
below
flapping wings of noisy vultures
circle the thrones
where siege
muzzling
travestied
hearse-like cosmetic figures
sewers overflowing with leeches
whisper the only mantra possible:
alone we are born
alone we die
unmuzzled
agape
in awe under the stars
a sparkling testimony
retrieves us
just in time
for the inexplicable return of sphinxes
phoenixes
and liberated dragonesses
who spring forth within us
after the devastation
of harsh immolated lands
here
an authentic Spring
finally manifests
its genuine April transmutation
scattering the confining heaviness
of polar blankets
that surround
the true
magnificently colored
landscape
troubled forests
poachers always propagate
other bloody expeditions
wounded by a bullet’s ricochet
an eagle
takes refuge in shrubs
near the woods edge
where shrill echoes of its cry
barely pierce the stinking cloudy swarm
discoloring a crystalline dawn
slaughter enters the gateway
where a few sentries
trip over messes
of yet another capture
tentacles of wars
slither squalid
around abandoned barricades
shutters closed
arid passages deserted
expulsions of peoples
from soiled seized lands
banish us too
fugitives
peevish history
unhinges all surroundings
that lead us
and lead us
repeating itself
and repeating us
[Jérôme Melançon also reviewed Séjour à Belle-Côte]
Actress, musician, singer, songwriter, and teacher, Rose Després has been active for over thirty years in the Acadian literary, artistic, and cultural network. She continues to bring noticeable contributions to many conferences, literary festivals, international exchanges and cultural representation and development organisations.
In 2001, Rose was awarded the Antonine-Maillet-Acadie
Vie prize for her collection La vie
prodigieuse. In 2012 an anthology of her first four books appeared in the
Bibliothèque canadienne-française collection. With Vraisemblable (2013), she continued to deepen her grasp on the
salutary power of poetry. She translated the Ontario poet Phil Hall’s collection
Le pluvier kildir (Killdeer, Governor General’s award) and
the Métis writer Katherena Vermette’s book femme-rivière
(river woman).
Jérôme Melançon
writes and teaches and writes and lives in oskana kâ-asastêki / Regina, SK. His
most recent chapbook is with above/ground press, Tomorrow’s Going to Be Bright (2022, after 2020’s Coup), and his most recent poetry
collection is En d’sous d’la langue
(Prise de parole, 2021). He has also published two books of poetry with
Éditions des Plaines, De perdre tes pas
(2011) and Quelques pas quelque part
(2016), as well as one book of philosophy, La
politique dans l’adversité (Metispresses, 2018). He has edited books and
journal issues, and keeps publishing academic articles that have nothing to do
with any of this. He’s on Twitter mostly, and sometimes on Instagram, both at
@lethejerome.