Project Description
Anouche Sherman
Anouche Sherman was born in Paris and spend her childhood between Paris and Jerusalem. She writes short prose and poetry in both French and English, translates, and is a Multi- Media artist. Some of her work has been published in French literary reviews and a selection of her English writings can be read on her website.
www.anouchesherman.com. She has been living in London since 1987.
N O B O R D E R S
Poems
Shallow Water
He gets into the shallow end of the sea. That is where the water meets the sand. He likes neither.
He won’t get his legs wet past the ankles. He walks a few steps. He gets into the water to get away
from the sand. If the water reaches his knees, he turns back towards the sand. He gets into the shallow end because one must get into the water. He gets into the water but he does not want to get wet past his ankle. He does not like the dry sand either. He gets into the shallow end of the sea to show staring faces on the sand that he is not scared of the deep end. “Sink or swim,” they shout in his head. He won’t get wet past his ankles, his knees are knuckled and weak. And in his head faceless figures shout from the sand, “Swim or sink.” This is not a question one asks oneself. He gets into the shallow end of the water.
Atlas
Nothing is an obstacle in this world
Not frozen sounds painted thick over white words
Nor nature’s voice locked in as time stands still
Forgotten for a while as ages cease
And obstacles are nothing if nothing is not a thing
Or else nothingness would not sleep underneath
Frozen grounds a canvas to buds that spring
A splash of pink between the trees
And all fades
And nothing is
N o B o r d e r s. 2010
Oxygen
At the end / when you think of it / and what you got from it / and that it made you feel good // whichever way you look at it / and all you gave up for it // to get away from it //
there is nothing else to it // it was air & water.
Contralto
Together
We stand divided
We fall
Hearts and eyes weep
Divided
Eyes and hearts
Together
Fall
We Weep
Divided
We weep
Divided
Variation ≈ Aria
Together divided we weep
We stand divided eyes and hearts divided
We fall together we weep
Hearts and eyes weep
Fall divided
Oxygen. 2013