Lost Body co-translated with Annette Smith from Aimé Césaire: The Collected Poetry, University of California Press, 1983. I who Krakatoa I who everthing better than a monsoon I who open shest I who Laelaps I who bleat better than a cloaca I who outside the musical scale I who Zambezi or frantic or rhombos or cannibal I would like to be more and more humble and more lowly always more serious without vertigo or vestige to the point of losing myself falling into the live semolina of a well-opened earth Outside in lieu of atmosphere there'd be a beautiful haze no dirt in it each drop of water forming a sun there whose name the same for all things would be DELICIOUS TOTAL ENCOUNTER so that one would no longer know what goes by -a star or a hope or a petal from the flamboyant tree or an underwater retreat raced across by the flaming torches of aurelian jellyfish Then I imagine life would flood my whole being better still I would feel it touching me or biting me lying down I would see the finally free odors come to me like merciful hands finding their way to sway their long hair in me longer than this past that I cannot reach. Things stand back make room among you room for my repose carrying in waves my frightening crest of anchor-like roots looking for a place to take hold Things I probe I probe me the street-porter I am root-porter and I bear down and I force and I arcane I omphale Ah who leads me back toward the harpoons I am very weak I hiss yes I hiss very ancient things I whoa lie down wind and against my unstable and fresh muzzle against my eroded face press you cold face of ravaged laughter The wind alas I will continue to hear it nigger nigger nigger from the depths of the timeless sky a little less loud than today but still too loud and this crazed howling of dogs and horses which it thrusts at our forever fugitive heels but I in turn in the air shall rise a scream so violent that I shall splatter the whole sky and with my branches torn to shreds and with the insolent jet of my wounded and solemn bole I shall command the islands to be