rouillent sur leurs branches,
peut-etre les arbres croient
ses feuilles s’en retournent…
but…here is real French from Michel Galiana’s voice:
“Quand les oiseaux migrateurs
Se perchent sur leurs branchages,
Ils croient peut-être, les arbres,
Que leurs feuilles sont de retour. »
and a further ‘more classical’ rendering:
‘Lorsque les oiseaux migrateurs
Se posent sur eux, est-ce pour
Faire croire aux arbres que leurs
Feuilles enfin sont de retour? ‘
with apologies and thanks. MS
Is it a fair game? Are the teamsequally matched? Have theyboth got wealthy sponsors?Can they both afford thoseinternational mercenaries?Is it – excuse the metaphor –a level playing field? …Some say it’s the oldestreligion in the world, withthe largest number of currentdevotees.. even those of uswho say we’re agnostic, atheist, ornever got the voting paper,secretly keep…
wandering into a Catholic churchand hearing someone just out of the confessionalmuttering 32 Hail Mary’s as instructedhuddled in the nearest pew,and thinkinghey once is enough…for some, a ceaseless act of worship;for some, a wake-up call;the intentioncould be the same
to Chris Higginson’s‘Zimbabwe’ pleafor yourpoetic sympathy.The prizeis in the international currencyof the heart
the heart lights up, so eager to explorethe unknown path that listening may find:obedience, awe, devotion, humblenessall rise to meet the offering of the word,and gently, like new father with his child,tend precious stranger granted to their care.Then silence turns to music in the mindand all too solid words form, black and white;behind the magic…
that sparkle, crackle, dazzle, woo the mind;and touch the heart with tender, swoony verse…I’d like to write – like grown-up poets do:in literature that’s all the better forthose soaring, parabolic parablesand paradigms, and rhymes, and metaphor…I’d like to write – like no-one else has done:forget the rules and precedents; let flyto heights undreamt of yet,…
a lighted small partof that hidden yet complete,awaiting a future lightfrom somewhere as a sun;where does that first newborn smilecome from? what does it know?
