Adieu, A La Place Du Bureau Des Postes. (Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker

Adieu, A La Place Du Bureau Des Postes. (Translation) .

La ou des lances de fer forges
ponctuent le terrain communel et la pluie
se tourne en neige une minute
J'appris que six poemes
egalent la terre dans le chemin
que vingt de plus font une toile d'araignee
trente-cinq corps boueux egalent un mur
qu'un emploi et demi ne font pas une vie
de grands romans sont du verre colore
leur douleur est leur couleur

Jamais la bienvenue sur la colline
J'avais l'air d'une idiote avec mes remerciements quotidiens
mais le vin etait ma blague, c'etait vraiment de l'eau
Deux pierres egalent deux baisers la-haut
une larve de la tipule egale un terrier

Au monde prochain je decouvris
un taudis ou un moi nu ecrit avec un clou
La on est aussi petit que zero, le trou au mur
ou entre le souris
avec un tortillon de fromage
pour le plus petit vitrier a manger
Peindre une rose egale une vie dans ce lieu
et sur le sentier epineux au dehors
une cathedrale egale le ciel

-1992

-'Goodbye, Post Office Square'. Fanny Howe(b.1940) .

Adieu, A La Place Du Bureau Des Postes. (Translation) .
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Topic(s) of this poem: education
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
A standout poem about education and religion. Writing poetry is not encouraged at school 'six poems/ equal the dirt in the road'. There follows images of men shot backs against a wall, the struggle to make a living, and the redeeming novels. She never felt welcome on the hill, where the water did not turn into wine at mass. The next world is even worse: you are zero there, you live in a hovel, but 'one cathedral is equal to the sky'.
Howe has a unique way of using maths in an ironic, emotive way-one thing equals another thing.
Not on Poem Hunter, but in 'The Oxford Book of American Poetry', edited by David Lehman and D. Brehm.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Kumarmani Mahakul 03 September 2017

Poetry truly encourages and this carries fragrance of education. Mind is automatically motivated here and we feel essence of poetry at each moment. This is a marvelous work with deep expression...10

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Michael Walker 05 September 2017

Sorry no time to submit another comment. I do not submit duplicate comments! Time wasted again.

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Michael Walker 05 September 2017

At primary and high school, we had to write many essays, but no poetry. So my experience tallies with Fanny Howe's. There is strong feeling in the poem-disillusionment mixed with anger, because children believe things uncritically, even wrong ideas. You have picked all that up most skilfully.

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