They came unnoticed

They came unnoticed

between night and day

clad in clouds and mist

and their presence hushed down

by the tender whisper

of the rain on the pond

nobody saw them

except a young child in his slumber

who pointed at them and smiled

a smile of hope and melody

when a lightning flashed in the air

half of their figures appeared

silver bodies that passed by

on the edge of a slippery path

you sensed their presence

but like a hound dog

you stopped moving at once

meaning your soul to abide

by the mystery of their visitation

and the testimony of their frailty

next you fell asleep

and when you woke up

rainbows were on sale

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

Dance your life away

Dance these days

of sweet youthful tempo

in the ballroom of the past

the concert is empty though

the orchestra is gone

but the music remains in your mind

a smile like a scar on your face

you can imagine

that life will always

save the last dance for you

you were sentenced 

to several years of nostalgia

with but the possible cure

of deadly oblivion

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

He

+

დევნილობაში

[devnilobachi]

+

Strong in his beliefs

he passed by life

like a humble pilgrim

redeeming time with eternity

and forgiving offenses

as if they were dewdrops

on a Summer morning

One day he ended up

in a very strange land

where people had replaced their soul

with money and power

it takes a great man

to ignore curses

and a poor one

to know the value of holiness

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

Words

Clad in their self-proclaimed importance

they talked vainly

believing their words 

to be of utter importance

for their bored to tears listeners

the latter

their soul yawning inside

wished they had earlids

to escape the mortal trance

of these insane chatterboxes

outside the conference room

in the true real world

of ordinary people

the rate of exchange of lilies and roses

remained the same

and the sun the moon 

and the stars

remained the same

and the silence that followed their speeches

sounded like a blessed symphony

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

Exiles

They are suddenly lost

in the mysterious labyrinth

of grief 

and wounded faith

hesitating between tears

silence 

and revolt

their souls maimed with mourning

and their hearts

drowned in despair

their sadness is a dungheap

in the midst of a beautiful garden

but the smell of death prevails

and 

nobody can offer solace

to Prophet Job

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

Désert

صحراء

I came back home

my youthful mind loaded

with memories and hopes

and my soul expecting

the subtle tenderness

of sweet welcoming words

but you were almost silent

and you left me puzzled

in the middle of a sentence

you never finished

your dog came 

wagging its tail

as if to make up

for your rudeness

and thus I entered

the present

of my maimed past

with the assurance 

that death could come 

at any time

and your dog 

was still cheerful 

...

In the desert of old

locusts and bees

kept company to John

and fed him

Claude Lopez-Ginisty

Innocence

In the innocence of her youth

unknowingly

she uttered light words

turning trivial conversation 

into secret pleasure

I pretended to ignore them

and she then clad her thoughts

in a vestment of laughter

preferring the irony of smiles

to the tedious curse of silence

or embarrassment

She then left 

and I was quite puzzled

deprived of the old pleasure

of having the last word

And moved deep inside myself

with a tiny injury

that seemed like a scar in my heart

Claude Lopez-Ginisty