Susan Spier


Translation of Annie Molin Vasseur's poem "Mémoires océanes"

Ocean Memories
(Excerpts)

Myself a conch or skiff
oyster spat adrift
far from my origins
I am stranded on a reef
crystallizing my inner ivory
nacre for all Japan.

I
infinite ocean
universal memory
am the humble pearl
in the iridescent belly
the birthplace of humanity.



Like a boat overturned
water penetrating its open wounds
I lie entombed
common winkles and multiple parasites
fossilized for eternity
in my navigator's shell
oars stowed
in my deserted womb

A seabed sculpture
I exude calcareous tears
and pray that my memory lives on.

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