A word on the Rue Saint-Jacques

My French is only slightly better than my Latin,
I’m afraid, which means—though I’m perfectly capable
of informing a passer-by on the Rue Saint-Jacques
that je ne parle pas français—I can’t indulge in
Mélange Adultère de Tout, unfortunately.
Besides, I’d rather see Longhaven Cliffs
than your cenotaph.


More words to ponder at maciejmodzelewski.com

Simple living

En réalité le satanisme a gagné. Satan s’est fait ingénu. Le mal se connaissant était moins affreux et plus près de la guérison que le mal s’ignorant. G. Sand inférieure à de Sade.
Notes sur «Les liaisons dangereuses», Charles Baudelaire

My neighbour leads a life of studious regularity
and doesn’t mind if George Sand is inferior to de Sade,
as long as he can perch on the scroll finial of the church across the street
to catch his breath between feedings of his chicks.
If only I were a magpie.


More words to ponder at maciejmodzelewski.com

Orange vests

kind of / sexy, all muscle & moves & luminous glow
‘Night Garbage’, Amy Shearn

Lilies are too morbid, apples too biblical—
am I drowning in literary obsession?

When I look out the window at orange vests
painting a disabled parking bay on the street,
I have to admit they might seem sexy,

but to be sure, I’d have to see
the garbagemen in Brooklyn first.