A Jean-Pierre Bellan, 25 Mai 2017
Le bleu d’un jean usé, bleu des pigments
Palettes éparpillées, ocres et carmins
La mer bleue d'Alger, dans le lointain d’avant
Le bleu des campanules, jardin après jardin
Read More“Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.” D.H Lawrence, Piano (1, 1-4)
« Ben, Ben, réveille-toi…réveille-toi ». Emilie chantait doucement dans l’oreille de Ben, une main posée sur son ventre. Ben se retourna en grognant. C’était le milieu de la nuit, une nuit d’été moite et sans lune.
Read MoreIt was a small provincial hotel, in Marseille "vieux port". In the guides, they called it "hôtel de charme". Its original name was "hôtel Beauséjour". It was renamed "hôtel du Vieux Port". Room 27 remained room 27.
Read MoreJoseph est méconnaissable sous son armure étincelante de chevalier et cette idée l’enchante. Passer devant la maison de Mme Robert la voisine sans avoir besoin de dire bonjour. Descendre le petit chemin de l’école, d’un pas lourd, en faisant trembler la terre sous ses pieds tout en tenant fièrement Zénon en laisse. Il sent tous les regards braqués sur lui. Les femmes sur le pas de leurs portes, effrayées, rappellent leurs enfants et se calfeutrent à l’intérieur de leurs maisons en attendant que Joseph soit passé.
Read MoreThey would meet every Easter Sunday at Kew Gardens. Family tradition. The kids were running ahead, laughing and chasing each other. The adults were walking in a disorganised line, peacefully, and Emma would move from one to another.
Read MoreC’est un rêve qui revient souvent. Je suis blottie dans ses bras. Enfant. 3 ou 4 ans. Plus peut-être. C’est un homme brun d’une trentaine d’années. Je le connais à peine et pourtant je le reconnais. Mon père. Souvenirs fabriqués recomposés à partir de photos ou de récits.
Read MoreL’avion atterrit au petit matin, par un jour de grand vent. Lors du décollage, sa voisine s’était présentée : « Samantha Brown, on m’appelle Sam » et lui avait demandé s’il venait pour affaires ou en vacances. Il avait murmuré pour toute réponse, sans la regarder : « Paul Lullies, je viens en pèlerinage ».
Read More‘She is a fish’, Tom had said to Lea one day, looking at their little girl, Marine.
Marine had loved being under water since she was a baby. From the moment she was born, Marine’s bath was the most extraordinary moment. Marine would not mind at all having her head under water. She would open her eyes, her face covered by water, and giggle.
Read MoreThere I was, my feet curled around the windowsill, twitching as unpleasantly cold night air came to greet them. The window was three stories up, it was extremely long, rimmed in washed-away white wood. I had flung it open, shortly after settling the cream envelopes (I ran out of white ones) onto the large mahogany desk of my father’s office.
Read MoreThey had picked the wrong season. It was a rainy late autumn vacation. Julia lived on the East Coast before and the fall was the most beautiful time of the year. The colours and the trees. The softness of the sun. She remembered of times were her extended family had Thanksgiving lunch on the deck, kids playing in the backyard.
Read MoreMalgré sa taille imposante et le feu qui brûle en lui, Zara n’a jamais peur des colères de Zénon. Depuis qu’il est tout petit, elle lui parle d’une voix douce, et Zénon suit docilement ses instructions.
Read MoreIls sont là, bien rangés sur l’étagère de la chambre jaune. Il y en a de toutes les tailles, des petites des grands et longs, des feuillus et des tout minces et de toutes les couleurs, des rouges, des bleus, des verts ou des jaunes, foisonnant de dessins colorés ou remplis de texte noir écrit serré. Hippolyte les aime tous, particulièrement depuis quelques mois, depuis qu’il sait lire, tout seul.
Read MoreMia decided to give birth in the inaccessible remote corner of the entrance cupboard. In the middle of Margot's most expensive shoes. Pierre and Margot had prepared a comfortable place in a warm corner of the kitchen with a stack of old woolen jumpers in a basket. Mia even seemed to like it and sniffed around the basket for a couple of days.
Read More-"Clare, we all die one day" Leon would say.
She found him particularly annoying in those moments. As if nothing mattered.
Since Alex was born, she could sense the shadows. At night they would come in the form of terrible stories; Alex would die in his sleep, swallow one of his toys, fall from his bike, be knidnapped whilts she was asleep. They were millions of stories, like dark birds flying towards her, keeping her awake and terrified.
Read MoreTimeless tunes
Tinkle and totter
As memories - mumble,
Shake and shuffle
Spinning in your eyes
Read MoreFor a long time, you thought the walls were rigid. Hard concrete. Grey. With some yellow patches. Covered with scratches and inscriptions. Some that only a really tall man would reach. Some men are giants you thought when you first entered your new home. Then you realised that they were probably standing on the narrow stool. The men before you. Some writings in languages you do not know. The fact that there are so many languages you do not know gives you comfort. You are well learned and well-travelled. But there is a big world out there. Outside those six walls.
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