PASCALLE MONNIERAshbery has translated much of her work into English. Principal works: Les
Pirates de la Havane, 1986; La Règne de Filostrate, 1990; Bayart, 1995.
Summer
1
Good, it’s hot.
You get the picture: windows wide open, the first flies and, in the background,
motorcycle noise
and a warm wind tipped with cold, the cool smells and not quite summer
(fresh-cut grass, dogs exhausted in the heat, sun-tan lotion, oil stains, broiling
pizza).
Mouth against mouth, legs intertwined, arms interlaced, hands embraced,
tongues soft
(‘‘we make, at this moment, my love, don’t you see, just one just one just one!!!’’
in other words: cry of despair, delight, desire).
You get the picture.
—cole swensen
Summer
2
These are the first fine days.
The first fine days.
The fine days have returned.
The trees will slowly be covered with leaves.
The trees will grow black, carbonize before your eyes.
The light will be white. The trees will be black against the white of the light.
Red flowers will spring from the earth.
The grass will be green, then gold.
In the morning, the sky will be so blue, so white at noon, so blue toward dusk
and black, black!!! at night.
The air will get heavier, grow very heavy, very slow and only lazily move.
And so the branches will move slowly,
very slowly.
To slow down.
The slowing down.
They slow down
softening.
We walk so slowly.
The air will be sweet, damp, heavy.