Friday, February 12, 2016

Van/ity (for Natalya)

The happy inconvenience of forced reliance on these, the sole tools I own
for prying below your oh so frozen golden skin,
The patient persistent application of these blunt lips, this inagile tongue,
trying to learn entire the inarticulate soul hiding within --
peeling it away     layer    by     layer  
from the long & blonde cool slim softvanilla Ukrainy icecreamcone
lying frostdelicious  beside my pillow.
I (reluctantlustily) Bonaparte after you Kutuzov: 
who hawkodineyed watch for every movement upon your flanks and
          (engaging not, engaging, not) withdraw, withdraw
                   withdraw apace,          another pace—
all communication broken, 
knicking off my van/
                                  /                (engaging not, engaging not)
                                  /
                                  /                                till
                                  /
                                  /                                                    suddenly
                                  /
                                  /
                                                                                                                                                     
                                  / confront we                :Borodino                                                              
                                  /
                                  / frontal attack into your center
                                  / bodies blood contorted everywhere
                                  / ferocious punishment on either side
                                  /
                        The c/ity of tsars ash against stars and ice

and our dreadful painful slow long extraction begins. 

--Duane Vorhees

2 comments:

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  2. vanite

    Moi bonaparte (a contrecoeur) apres vous Kutuzov:

    qui regarde vigilant chaque mouvement sur vos flancs et
    (sans engagement, sans engagement) se retire, se retire
    se retire rapidement, une autre cadence
    toutes les communications cassees
    et mon fourgon ravage

    (sans engagement, sans engagement)

    jusqa'a ce que



    soudainement

    nous nous affrontons :Borodino

    attaque frontale dans votre centre
    les corps ensanglantes et tordus partout
    punition feroce de chaque cote

    La ville des tsars est reduite en cendres au dessous des etoiles et de la glace

    et notre chagrin affreux ralentit la longue extraction toujours en avant

    --tr. Alina Duminica & Dorin Popa

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