Poetry: Huguette Bertrand

Huguette Bertrand 

ON TODAY'S MENU

On the blackboard of the daily life

words are aligned in positions

to cause multiples shivers

out of shadows

beauty emerges

blessing the soul of the present

when sounds are well aligned

it feels good

when the words are mobilised

it creates bridges

for the crossing of the day

leading to joyful terraces

on the tormented Earth never discouraged

in front of a plate of french fries and mussels

***

A SECRET SHELTER

A policy

an illusion

confusion

frightening wars

and those women fleeing

from extended grey hours

they walk in silence

between rumors and sleeping bodies

and carry within a strange happiness

that only their memory can sustain

meanwhile

in the shelter of their secret thoughts

they dream of a rebirth surrounded

by the power of tenderness

for the harvest of love

***

PAST MIDNIGHT

The silence has swallowed the noises

and left a few words

that the children have picked up

to make their future out of it

because the wounded past

does not belong to them

let them laugh 

let them dance

to the rhythm of the sounds

in the veins of their present

and let old days run away

past midnight

while the clock is knitting words

for their happy new days 

***

TO THE BOTTOM

Usually

you have to dig deep into the night

to bring out the colours of the next day

down to the bottom

to reconcile the images

of the peoples outside

and the time to shared 

with others around

those regular forms of existence

gathered in secret

to receive the visit of tomorrow

nothing but tomorrow 

without a shadow 

between you and me

***

 

Bio: Huguette Bertrand is an international French-Canadian poet and editor born and living in Canada. She has been writing and editing French poetry for 39 years and has published 39 poetry books. Since 2014 her poems were also published in many international journals and anthologies and translated in multi. Participations to poetry readings, book shows, art exhibitions of her poetry paired with artworks in Canada, France and Norway, gave poetry workshops in Canada and France. She is the Canadian representative of the international movement IMMAGINE & POESIA (Italy) and co-editor of digital yearly anthologies for this said movement since 2014.

http://www.espacepoetique.com

https://www.facebook.com/huguette.bertrand.9

---

Setu, July 2022