In October

written by Claire Malroux, translated by Marilyn Hacker

October its brilliance In its arms the condemned leaves the obsession with dying beautifully

Whorls of more carnal flowers and regal silhouettes which purify themselves at the borders in the reachieved rigor of gardens

Birds shriek across transparencies

Engraved in the actual and insubstantial grooves the mechanism cannot fail even if human gestures come undone

The obstinate light imposes loving hands upon the cold