Paul Auster "Northern Lights"
These are the words
that do not survive the world. And to speak them
is to vanish
into the world. Unapproachable
light
that heaves above the earth, kindling
the brief miracle
of the open eye—
and the day that spreads
like a fire of leaves
through the first chill wind
of October
consuming the world
in the plain speech
of desire.
Guillaume Apollinaire "The Windows"
From red to green all the yellow dies
When parakeets sing in their native forests
Giblets of pihis
There's a poem to be done on the bird with only one wing
We'll send it by telephone
Giant traumatism
It makes your eyes run
Do you see that pretty girl among the young women of Turin
The young man blew his nose with his white tie
You'll raise the curtain
And now see the window opening
Spiders when hands wove the light
beauty paleness fathomless violets
Vainly we'll try to take some rest
We'll begin at midnight
When you have time you have liberty
Winkles Codfish multiple Suns and the Sea Urchin of sunset
An old pair of yellow boots in front of the window
Towers
Towers are the streets
Well
Wells are the squares
Wells
Hollow trees sheltering vagabond mulattoes
The Chabins sing melancholy songs
To brown Chabines
And the wa-wa wild goose honks to the north
Where raccoon hunters
Scrape the fur skins
Glittering diamond
Vancouver
Where the train white with snow and lights flashing through the dark runs
away from winter
Oh Paris
From red to green all the yellow dies
Paris Vancouver Hyères Maintenon New York and the Antilles
The window opens like an orange
The lovely fruit of light
