Karaoke Night
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Downcast eyes
searching for courage
in your anthem
Qu’il me parle tout bas
Silence softly
expanding the room
as your innocence
fills it. A character
we have never seen
before this night—
we are all in rapture.
Je vois la vie en rose
We all fall
in love with you.
Il me dit des mots d’amour
Liz cries
for her grandmother
I ache, for your companionship
Des mots de tous les jours
But wee can only
do the dance and nothing more
Et ça me fait quelque chose
And listen when you sing
on Karaoke Nights
dreaming
anticipating our next dance
Lalalala
lalalala
La
la
la
la.
Translation of Édith Piaf’s lyrics:
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
When he takes me into his arms
Qu’il me parle tout bas
He speaks to me softly
Je vois la vie en rose
And I see life through rose-colored glasses
Il me dit des mots d’amour
He speaks words of love to me
Des mots de tous les jours
They are everyday words
Et ça me fait quelque chose
And they do something to me
Written after experiencing an intimate karaoke night with friends, I formatted this poem loosely-inspired by Moira Walsh’s and Wilfried Schubert’s “Im Rüttelflug / Hovering” in the tiny magazine [Issue #10—2021].
Walsh’s and Schubert’s collaboration took place over the span of email and text message. A writer must also be a reader—engaging with and responding to others’ work helps me stay inspired and try new techniques without the pressure of being perfect.