Apres-coup, by Lorelei Bacht

Vampire, by Edvard Munch (Norway) 1895

French:

Après-coup
 
À moi la tristesse à vous l'ardente douleur
L'après-coup bleuté de l'avant toujours meilleur
Que l'instant fatal contact idéal brisé
En vol rencontre en contre avec la chair aimée
 
À moi le blues la honte bue la déception
Maman maman enveloppe mon ambition
Révélée pathétique de tes cheveux roux
Ton feu continue de briller je deviens fou
 
Aftermath

To me sadness to you the ardent pain
The blueish aftermath of a before better
Than the moment itself the ideal contact 
Broken upon impact against your tender flesh
 
To me the blues the drunken shame dismay
Mother mother in your red hair enwrap 
My ambition exposed as pathetic
Your fire burns bright still I am losing my mind
 
Lorelei Bacht
 
Author's note: The French original was written in traditional "alexandrin" (12 syllables per line), with an AABB rhyming pattern. The tone and form, for instance the absence of punctuation, was inspired by the poetic work of Guillaume Apollinaire. 
 
Lorelei Bacht is a European writer living in Asia with her family. When she is not carrying little children around or trying to develop their appreciation for modern art, she can be found in the garden, befriending orb weavers and millipedes. She once edited and published poetry, under a different name. Her current work can be found and/or is forthcoming in Open Door Poetry Magazine, Visitant, The Wondrous Real and Quail Bell. She can also be found on Instagram: @lorelei.bacht.writer