Dévoration


Nicole Brossard







Avant-page
une espérance de vie et de silence
parfois c’est paisible pieta
paupière attentive à l’air libre
au relief de nos destins sertis
d’angst  de smiles et de Dasein


un oui de dévoration
qui structure
la frayeur et l’impasse







PAGE 1
Ici dans l’abstraction
nœuds de joie mèche vaillante
on dit chaos main tendue
gantée de chiffres et d’échos




soudain nous sommes
en état de plein silence
hors l’immensité
sans responsabilité







page 2 recommence

page 3 la gravité

ciel imprenable rues désertes
la ville
en une seule génération
débranchée de ses graffiti
et Fender Stratocaster


page 4
notre espèce,







page 4

au-delà je ne vois que toi
dans ton voyage de l’écrit
un peu d’encre sur ton front
des siècles de représentation mentale
de petites traces ici et là
la littérature tel un Lascaux universel
d’espèce en sa permanence d’azur
et comble d’intuition quantique







page 5        

bien sûr, je vais m’exprimer
toucher la nuit vous verrez
ce sera


souffrir n’est pas toujours
facile à archiver
au milieu des sens
verbes en allés nus vibrer dans les miroirs
et les écrans
je l’avoue il faut prénom et personnage
élan intime, une fin
de jour et de phrase ;


Devouring


Translated from the French by Chris Tysh







Half-title page
a life and silence expectancy
sometimes it’s a serene pietà
eyelid attentive to the open air
to the relief of our fates crimped
with  angst smiles and Dasein


a devouring yes
which structures
fright and impasse







PAGE 1
Here in the abstract
knots of joy a valiant wick
one says chaos an outstretched hand
gloved in numbers and echoes




suddenly we are
in a state of full silence
beyond immensity
without responsibility







page 2 start over

page 3 gravitas

impregnable sky desert streets
the city
within a single generation
unplugged from its graffiti
and the Fender Stratocaster


page 4
our species,







page 4

beyond I see no one but you
in your voyage of the written
a touch of ink on your forehead
centuries of mental representation
faint traces here and there
literature like a universal species’ Lascaux
in its azure permanence
and height of quantum intuition







page 5

for sure, I’ll express myself
touch the night you will see
it will be


suffering is not always
easy to archive
amidst senses
verbs on the go nude flutter in the mirrors
and screens
I confess one needs first name and character
an intimate surge, an end
to the day and phrase;









Nicole Brossard, born in Montréal in 1943 is a poet, novelist and essayist. Twice awarded the Governor General Award, she has published more than 35 books including Mauve Desert, The Aerial Letter, Notebook of Roses and Civilization. Many of her books have been translated into various languages. In 2019 the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry awarded her the Lifetime Recognition Award. Her most recent books in English are Avant Desire, A Nicole Brossard Reader (Coach House Books, 2020) and Distantly (Omnidawn, 2022). In 2022, she received the prestigious Prix Gilles-Corbeil, also for a lifetime recognition.










Founded in 2020, Three Fold is an independent quarterly based in Detroit that presents exploratory points of view on arts, culture, and society in addition to original works in various media, including visual art, literature, film and the performing arts. We solicit and commission contributions from artists, writers, and activists around the world. Three Fold is a publication of Trinosophes Projects, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in the historic Eastern Market neighborhood in downtown Detroit. Click here to check out Three Fold’s events page and view a schedule of the publication’s on-site activities.

Three Fold recognizes, supports, and advocates for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. We operate on occupied territories called Waawiiyaataanong, named by the Anishinaabeg and including the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewatomi (Potawatomi) peoples. We hold to commit to Indigenous communities in Waawiiyaataanong, their elders, both past and present, and future generations.