April’s End
April’s end
Trees were fruit-laden
We ate mangoes
Our mouths and hands
Yellow-syrup stained
And every night it rained
Your leg anchored me in bed
I don’t forget the misery beyond My Love
I don’t forget
Absent water
The stones in the riverbed
Children’s bellies swollen
With glowing worms
I don’t forget
Any of it
In the dark
Voices on the radio and your eyes
Prophesy misfortunes and the world’s end
But your embrace keeps loneliness at bay
And in my heart suddenly
Flutter birds’ wings
Michèle Voltaire Marcelin (Translation MVM)
Read the original French version of this poem from "Amours et Bagatelles" published by CIDIHCA (2009)
Derniers jours d’Avril…
Les arbres étaient lourds de fruits
Nous mangions des mangues
Nos lèvres et nos mains tachées de sirop jaune
Et chaque soir, la pluie
Ta jambe m’ancrait au lit
Je n’oublie pas la misère au dehors, Mon Amour
Je n’oublie pas
l’ eau déserte
Le lit de pierre
au fond de la rivière
Les vers luisant dans le ventre des enfants
La faim qui grogne comme un chien
Je n’oublie rien
Dans le noir
les voix à la radio et tes yeux
prophétisent des malheurs de fin du monde
Mais ton étreinte éloigne ma solitude
et fait frémir des ailes d’oiseaux
tout au fond de mon coeur
Michèle Voltaire Marcelin
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Michèle Voltaire Marcelin is a poet/writer, performer and painter who was born and raised in Haiti, sojourned in Chile, and currently lives in the United States. The publication of her first novel “La Désenchantée” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2006) was followed by its Spanish translation “La Desencantada” and two other books of poetry and prose: “Lost and Found” and “Amours et Bagatelles” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2009) - translated into Spanish by Editorial ALBA as "Amores y cosas sin importancia" - all of which garnered rave reviews. Her writings are also featured in 3 anthologies published in France: "Cahier Haiti" (published by RAL'M-2009), "Terre de Femmes" (Editions Bruno Doucey-2011) "Revue Intranqu'îllités" (2012). She speaks and writes fluently French, English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. She has a BFA from the Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts at CUNY and a Masters from The New School for Social Research.
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