BERNARD NOËLUne messe blanche, 1970; Souvenirs du pâle, 1971; D’une main obscure, 1980; L’Été
de langue morte, 1982; La Chute des temps, 1983; La Castration mentale, 1994; Le
Reste du voyage, 1997; La Langue d’Anna, 1998.
Portrait
where is the letter?
asks the dying man
before going silent
as long as a man lives
there is no need to justify his tongue
when a man dies
he must return his alphabet
from each death
we await the secret of life
the last breath carries
the missing letter
it vanishes behind the face
it hides within the name
—michael tweed
Angers
a black and white castle makes all the di√erence
time’s night turned to stone and circular towers
an image that passes less alive than a face
define the unique reveal its nature
all woven of form and angle of vision
you watch the you that’s under the hair
mortal desire in its nest tucked away
heavy winter midnight covering the outburst
the meeting shatters on the edge of the street
—rosemary lloyd