Jusqu'à présent, lecteur, suivant l'antique usage,
Je te disais bonjour à la première page.
Mon livre, cette fois, se ferme moins gaiement ;
En vérité, ce siècle est un mauvais moment.

Tout s'en va, les plaisirs et les moeurs d'un autre âge,
Les rois, les dieux vaincus, le hasard triomphant,
Rosafinde et Suzon qui me trouvent trop sage,
Lamartine vieilli qui me traite en enfant.

La politique, hélas ! voilà notre misère.
Mes meilleurs ennemis me conseillent d'en faire.
Être rouge ce soir, blanc demain, ma foi, non.

Je veux, quand on m'a lu, qu'on puisse me relire.
Si deux noms, par hasard, s'embrouillent sur ma lyre,
Ce ne sera jamais que Ninette ou Ninon.

On our first date,
I took her to a romantic place,
We kissed and she smirked.
Every time she looked at me,
she giggled,
When she left I realized my zipper was open.

Does not the sun
that softens the wax
turn on the clay
to make it hard ?

I tried swallowing but the lump in my throat wouldn’t go away. I tried forgetting but the memory was still there and it was carved into my brain. I tried covering the scars but they were still there. I tried to mute my crying but the eye bags was still there the next day.

I tried closing my eyes but the monster was still there. I tried not to go back to my addiction but the temptation was still there. I tried to cover up my pain but the blood was still there. I tried to cover up my ugliness but the face was still there. But when I finally went to my loved ones they were gone, the only thing I didn’t want gone was now just that

So many have accumulated over time
all stacked on top of each other

in an open cardboard box
not a bin

trucks sedans
sports cars

of red yellow
and blue

scratched and chipped
mementos

of a well worn
youth