This month’s Poet Republik feature is another poem from Jean-Noel Chazelle’s first collection of poetry, Le Sang de L’Étoile / Star-Blood. Poet Republik Ltd. is proud to publish his debut in a bilingual translation. Special thanks to Brooke Petersen for translating. Jean-Noel is already an accomplished artist whose paintings have been exhibited around the globe. Below is a sampling of the outstanding poetry in this collection. You can see the influence of his painterly mind in the lush images in his poetry. Enjoy!
Dédicace / Dedication
La Chrysalide de l infinie métamorphose permet à l
être Humain le passage
la projection exacte de ces peurs sur l écran de sa vie,
le reflet perdu retrouvé par narcisse
commence alors la danse sur l écume, le voyage épique,
le mythe est a portée de main
le vent sur la nuque, le feu naturellement reconquis.
The chrysalis of infinite metamorphosis
allows the human being to pass through.
The exact projection of these fears on the screen
of our lives, the lost reflection recovered by Narcissus.
Begin, then, a dance on the sea-foam, the epic voyage.
Myth is within the hand’s reach.
Wind on the neck’s nape, naturally-recaptured fire.
Jean Noel Chazelle is a French Artist living in Montmartre PARIS. He works on multiple support (Painting, Sculpture, Performance, Installation) and various media (Photo, Movie, Sound). After 7 years of performances in Cledalique Gallery created by Salvador Dali and Miette in Cadaques in the north of Spain, following the encouragement of Teeny Duchamp he re-turned to painting and begun to experiment the acrylic paint on plexiglass in 1997. He went to the state after his first exhibition at Sacha Tarassof who associated him with Support Surface. Jean Noel has a Museum in Massa-chussetts, Noama witch places on front of MassMoca. He as integrated numerous collections: the one of the DeRosa family that belongs to Guggenheim, the collection of Bob and Mary Decelles in Miami , the col-lection of Bo Peabody in NY, the collection of Carole Levy in Los Angeles, the one of Joel Cohen, Claude Klotz in Paris. He was the last Artist that Joseph Nahmad has collected. Star-Blood marks his first collection of poetry by Poet Republik Ltd. in Berlin and California.
[stripe name=”Poet Republik Ltd” description=”starblood” amount=”1500″ billing=”true” shipping=”true”]
Goosebumps
Leaves fall gracefully
onto the cold cement
It welcomes its cover
The wind begins to echo
its harsh blows
Warmth removed
My body now shivers
Happiness.
Sunlight caresses her face with its warmth,
A creature full of life.
The wind plays with her hair softly,
Joy is inevitable, a burst of bright light.
V.Saldana
Feet sink deep into the dirt
Roots spread underground
Torso extended, reaching, stretching
Trunk expanding, ever growing
Arms extended up and out
Branches long reaching for the sun
Hair blowing in the wind
Leaves rustling through the breeze
Elbows are a blunt weapon that can knock a man down. Elbows hide a funny bone to laugh at your whimsical jokes. Tough, they are the first to take a fall, bruise, and cut. Yet they can bleed for days when jabbed from a wrong angle. Elbows–my ego, my pride. You are the scar-covered partner of my younger days.
The taste on my buds
is a bitter, sour, salty
one. Can hardly forget
the emotion that comes along
I should turn off my brain,
So I could be cold.
Now that is experience
from somebody old.
Hear ur shoulders.
Listen to ur gut.
Be all ears,
to the hair that sticks up.
Looking for a dream, he travels through a sea of sand. The sand is so hot that his feet are bursting, he lifted his eyes and saw an oasis of water. He rubbed his eyes, was it a mirage or was there water in this sea of sand. He had been walking for days in search of this dream, the food and water he had were already gone. He thought to himself was it worth it, but he remembered those beautiful blue eyes her smile and continued. Every single second of this journey is worth it, if it means a better life and happiness for that little angel that he left behind.
The human body is the feeling of wonder. It all comes with the small things of the human body. Wide eyes when you see the heaven change colors. It’s in the way that your flesh breaks out in goosebumps when you hear the first notes of a masterpiece. Or in the way that your heart stutters in your chest when you feel something overwhelmingly pure. The human body is a wonder with gasps, cries, screams, moans, whispers, and laughs. There is nothing more wonderful than the body and its handle of wonder. Such a simple emotion with such a strength over our bodies.
Our heart is an engine,
And our feet move the earth.
Like putty,
We move the ground to where we need to be,
Guided by the sound of our heartbeat.
Chills run through my body.
Outside, it smells like fresh rain.
The weather is gloomy
And there are no leaves on the trees.
Winter is supposed to be a merry season
Filled with joy and happiness,
But outside
Its filled with sorrow and sadness.
C.S
Chills run through my body.
Outside, it smells like fresh rain.
The weather is gloomy
And there are no leaves on the trees.
Winter is supposed to be a merry season
Filled with joy and happiness,
But outside
Its filled with sorrow and sadness.
C.Solano
We carry our emotions within the fierceness of our eyes
The anger
The sadness
They pierce through,
And yet they keep asking if we are fine.
They glisten with sadness
They sparkle with excitement
They are the windows to the soul
Plunging down a deep dark hole.
A. Rincon
Roaring winds and timid shivers
A drumming heart lays awake.
The storm lingers in the night
A ghosting wind echoes in my ears.
When will I find peace
Rosy cheeks
Prickled thorns
Petals are torn
Falling gracelessly onto
The wet dewy grass
Trampled on
By all who pass
Wake up in the morning.
Get out of bed.
What day is it?
It’s noon now.
I eat lunch.
What time is it?
It’s dark out.
Where did the time go?
Blurry vision
I try to make out
Without glasses
Just a blob
Must focus harder
Where could they be?
Waiting, as time drips by
Seeing my reflection in the puddle of wasted time
Eyes encompassing doubt
Knowing you won’t come back
But my heart holds on to a seed of faith
Knowing that you were once mine
I. Sims
Blood boiling: angry fire flooding to ever corner,
Every muscle tensed, wanting to fight,
Jaw clenched, glaring at the world,
Silently waiting for the dam to break.
Howling wind sends a shudder down my spine,
Temperatures so chilling my breath creates clouds.
Pacing faster to create warmth and comfort,
Ultimately fear has my feet frozen still.
Frigid stone where cries echo
shackles chime in unison
rusted bars that cut flesh
four walls peppered with fractures
a merciless sentence
doomed to obey
Lonely days
Lonely nights
Windy days
Pouring rain
And your still alone
Lonely days
Lonely nights
Windy days
Pouring rain
And your still alone
My eyes are gone.
Everybody is laughing.
I don’t know what to do.
Where did they go?
Am I too blind,
to see the people,
talking behind my back?
I don’t know what to do even though I try to see
who it is.
My legs are trembling like a lamb
staring in the eyes of a Tiger.
I am too weak to fight off
their attacks.
My back is bent,
with teeth bared wide
When I am really
just dead inside.
I’m no stranger
to surprise.
You will see
the pain and suffering
of mine.
His sadness cried for help
The broken heart shook earth
She was the apple of his eye, his rock
The guardian angel sent from above
An endless night
He cried a river, it was a beautiful disaster
Suffocating
poetry is
an inhaler
i only need
when I can’t breath
on my own
Six of us sitting at a table
connected with a booth
taken by two.
Jr is sticking his tongue out at Millie,Millie’s lips are moving so fast
salive starts sprinkling out.
They think we can’t hear them,
the live band is playing. Jr reaches in his pocket for the car keys, that’s where he keeps his bottle opener. Millie’s lips wriggle and perk. she bends her brows, squints, glares and flairs her nostrils.
Body aching, back breaking
Sweat dripping down my face
Physically drained, heart full of joy
Instant love at the sight of you
With you in my arms we drift off to sleep.
J. Ramirez
Lately I’ve been losing sight of who I truly want to be. A ship without a captain, sailing on treacherous waters with no destination yet to be reached. A strong wind briefly keeps the ship on course but evidently knocks it down time after time. Waiting on the day where clear weather prevails and leads the ship to the culmination of its trek. Only he truly knows.
It begins with hands reenacting an earthquake
my heart pounding in subsequence
as the world begins to collapse around me.
My body grows heavy with the weight of anxiety
and I can’t stop the tears that begin to fall
as it becomes too much and I can’t breathe anymore.
Panic ensues and engulfs me in its flames
until there’s nothing left to do but cry in defeat in what remains when it subsides,
as I am left to cope with the hole of emptiness it leaves behind in my heart.
Trapped inside
Unable to scream
Unable to cry
My body heavy
As I lie on back
I see only the blur
He stands there
Taunting me
I’m my prison
All I can do is see
Observe the chaos
My minds creation
L.I.T.
Heart beating fast,
when I stand in front of the room.
Palms sweating,
as I nearly drop my cards.
I can feel the jitters in my throat
as I speak to the audience
Ears are filled with pain
Deaf to the sound of pity
A dark soul is what is left
Escaping a nightmare
Shivers with a cold sweat
I am the lightning and thunder that make rainy days worse.
I am what people feel when they lose someone.
The emotion that makes your heart shatter into many pieces.
I am what creeps through the hallways of a hospital,
What creeps as ghosts throughout the cemetery.
I am sadness.
G Cortez
An emerging sensation
from deep within the heart
begins to spread outwards,
resonating upwards
towards the human brain
poisoning all senses,
unable fight back.
The body suddenly feels heavy
as feelings of dread begins to
to cloud the mind.
All that is left is to wait for
the moment to pass.
Sparkling eyes,
Like beaming stars
Tells the story of a thousand men
Freedom, is what I read
It cages inside me
A clock that does not tick
The secret stuck in the binds
Alive but no heart beating
A cry that makes no sound
Machine that refuses to work
Time will make all things forget
Dived in head first,
Found myself sinking down into the depths of the earth
Holding in all of my emotions at the bottom of the ocean
My pain runs deep & you were supposed to be my savior
Instead, I realize you were the anchor
When it comes to love
I stay afloat
Never did she expect to see such betrayal on her 25th spring. Her eyes jumped out of their sockets when she saw him with her. That anaconda was swallowing him whole. She left that building with a flash. The hair on her cheeks were snakes. Her eyes flowed with tiny rivers. The sky cried in tune with her. Her hands were protective shields. Her heart was jumping out of her chest. Her mouth was a cave with a sad echo within. Her brain fell dead. Then all of a sudden she saw her angel who brightened up her storm.
Her stare felt like sunshine after a long cold winter
His returning smile exalted her senses as they united
Their minds become an eraser as they forget reality
Together as one at last.
Amazing vivid description, with such a small amount of words. Emotion true happiness can be felt on my end through reading this poem. It is heartwarming and satisfying. Great Job!
Shivers creep down my spine
Making my face
Hands
Feet
Tingle and refuse to move
My breath, shallow
My heart, racing
I can not cry or scream or speak
My voice, broken
My body will not do as nature designed
Why do I get so scared?
Just as the night sky glitters with stars
Looming darkness creeps in the shadows
Your empty eyes; like an endless abyss
My body shivers like an animal
Your arms; tense and filled with anger
Will you not say goodbye?
Still, I look forward
To the day we will reunite in the starry sky
His legs felt weak again, this time like never before. They often suggested a visit to the doctor, but it would come and go so often he never deemed it necessary. Sometimes it wasn’t even his legs, but his arms. Other days his back. Still, he was never a physical person so it gave him no worries. It was when his dog ran away. When he was yelled at by his parents. When they eventually split up. And now, when he lost his friend.
As dark as the night without its moon,
The light faded and left nothing behind.
Not even the wind could be heard,
Nor understood a meaning or a sense of time.
Trapped in the obis of thought.
A void it has unfortunately become.
Not a feeling can be felt,
And every touch of heart becomes decaying and numb.
Silence continuously roams my mind.
Loneliness no longer is felt as a threat.
Emotion runs dangerously low.
A commonality it is and one to accept.
NC
Countless years have passed
My body is disintegrating
Yet I continue to wait in bliss
When I escape the present world
And visit a strange place
Where dreams ascend
Toes are the first to hit the floor
Rain or shine they have to make it through
Some walk, some run, some fall and some stand still
Some are ugly, some are fat, some are skinny and some are long
Although they come in many shapes, sizes and move at different pace
Each one has a fear of getting hurt through their walk
ACadena
Makeup covers up our flaws,
As clothes covers our body,
Whether we wear it or not,
It makes us feel comfortable.
Your face seems covered,
As I wish to be covered in your arms,
But you are not here,
The diamond on my finger,
Always reminds me you’re in my heart.
The stars above are like glitter in the sky,
The night so dark,
The moon so bright,
You take me in your arms and nothing matters more just the stars, the moon and you and I.
If my hands were a little less sweaty and a little more confident, I would grab hers. She is sitting here next to me, smiling and looking down. I know she is talking but I can’t hear anything over the pounding of my heart and the blood rushing in my ears. She looks up at me, “Why are you staring at me?” “Because I have never wanted to kiss anyone more than I want to kiss you right now.” She leans in towards me, lips shining with gloss and closes her eyelids, eyelashes long and black. I lean in towards her and I swear, for just a moment, time stopped and we existed alone in this universe, infinite and indestructible. My soul had finally found its other half. I smiled at the thought.
It started as a rumble, a tremble
From her toes onwards up
Winding slowly through tissue,
through sinew and cord
Reaching and clawing
Past a slowly expanding diaphragm
Breathe in, breathe out
He watched as he waited
His form tense, black eyes examining
Calculating, accessing
A tremble so violently quiet
he stood transfixed
A fleeting glance to the side
The tremble dying before it reached beautiful, hollow eyes
Turning slowly she fades away
And all he’ll be left with is silence
Icy cold, fingers disappear
Ribs a cage that keep everything together
Curtains, the mind’s respite, block out the world
Tapping drones on outside
Lessons
The human heart,
One of many organs which supports life and can also end it,
But the only one that can do both at the same time.
Capable of sustaining life while making it feel like it’s over.
The heart can pump blood and oxygen,
And it can do so while broken.
A true marvel.
It can feel shattered and still perform,
Like the heart,
We too can feel broken,
And still keep beating.
The end of the affair is always death.
She’s my workshop. Slippery eye,
out of the tribe of myself my breath
finds you gone. I horrify
those who stand by. I am fed.
At night, alone, I marry the bed.
Finger to finger, now she’s mine.
She’s not too far. She’s my encounter.
I beat her like a bell. I recline
in the bower where you used to mount her.
You borrowed me on the flowered spread.
At night, alone, I marry the bed.
Take for instance this night, my love,
that every single couple puts together
with a joint overturning, beneath, above,
the abundant two on sponge and feather,
kneeling and pushing, head to head.
At night alone, I marry the bed.
Soft and warm,
Peach and tranquility,
Breezes by like the skin of yours.
Pink tones dance across.
Unforgettable.