“National Poetry Month” #15: Chantal Neveu, translation by Angela Carr
from Coït
1
I come in
from where I leave
I come in
you point to where you want me to enter
I come in
when I come out you know where I was
where I am no longer
in a way
you see
after the gestures
your nerves
one by one
your genes
neurons
I feel you
go ahead
I can take you here
it’s possible
there is space
I can
pull
you see
beneath the ribs
you can
I take you
you feel
in your body
yes
you can let go
I am there
let me do it
you listen to me
I can withdraw
take you again
there
by the throat
from your mouth
I
slip out
you can
The above poem is the first “tube” from Chantal Neveu’s spatially performative book Coït as translated by Angela Carr.
Chantal Neuveu is a writer and an interdisciplinary artist. She is the author of the books coït and mentale (La Peuplade), Une Spectaculaire influence (l’Hexagone). Interdisciplinary textual projects include Èdres followed by Èdres | Dehors (Éditions É=É), Je suis venue faire l’amour (Contre-mur), Passing and Ce qui arrive* (OBORO). Coït, translated from French to English by Angela Carr, is published by BookThug / Toronto. She is part of the research-creative project Artistics Strategies of spatialization of knowledge directed by Suzanne Leblanc. Chantal Neveu lives in Montréal. She will be Villa Waldberta’s guest in Bavaria (DE) next fall.
Poet and translator Angela Carr is the author of two poetry collections, most recently The Rose Concordance (2009), and several chapbooks, including Risk Accretions.
