Faces

[translated by Gavin Falconer]

 

Faces
Intricate faces in broidered words.
A countenance built from a quilt of clauses
And fading like the wind’s dry litter.
A whirlwind of colours dispelled in words,
Rakes piled high amid winter leaves
A summer of skin recalled in faded hair.
…
Autumn.

Your face
Rosy twists of thought in winter’s leaf-swirl.
Spun sunlight in
A bead-strung vacuum
Of faded leaves.
Autumn grain’s
Coarse topsoil.

Thoughts
With wilful souls of their own
Jealous they trade words of wisdom
Bottled up they’re lost.

Cardboard
Dumb cardboard
Painted like sky
And, in emblem, shades of brightness.

Filigree
Filigree of thought
in ordered words
Thoughts of words in filigree.
Filigree of time
in thoughts
of beaded dew
Dream of beaded thoughts
in filigree…
Time.
Time in beaded filigree
of thought
filigree rain
of beaded time
thoughts
words
words in thoughts.
Of thoughts, the filigree
of words
…
Love.

Smile
Strings of thoughts
In warped remembrance
Your sad, still smile will drape.
Yet word-strings
Lay the sad smile bare.

Wind of Thought
Cardboard of thoughts.
Kite in the wind
Whirlwind of thoughts
Thoughts of a kite
Of card and wind.
Thoughts of cardboard.
A cardboard kite.
Before this wind the thoughts
Chase out the memories.

Belfast
Glass in thoughts
thoughts of rain
clouds in words
shrapnel.
Glass shattering
into evening
pearls
gestures verbed
into words.
Evening
tears
in a vacuum
the glass gesticulates.
The evening smiles
in
pearls.

Belfast Sky
Blushing, dancing
Clouds process.

Discord
False tones
refract
from words
of splintered
crystal.

Hoar-frost
The hoar-frost of pride
A shroud cast
Over stones

Will
Wind
here
…
Calm Shores.

Shapes
Beaded
Cast like mute rain.

Hopes
Stout blades
Made ash
By mother sun.

Hope
A magic lantern
Athwart the clouds
Dilutes
Their shadow.
Rain.

Sun
Lamp and metal
Cold sun decanted.

Faces
Faces in the rain
Add wine to
Its pearls.