Ourcq


From the ice-breaker clearing the quay

cracks dart though the layer of ice,

from one bank across to the other

the ship trembles the ice breaks up,

the surface tilts deep into the canal

and bulges and splits, crumbles and melts.

Now one can see

how heavy a swan must be.

Tough as its belly and webbed feet

Is the ice, not white but transparent.

Where it stands is a layer of water.

Someone scoops the ice from the fountain.

Someone stacks tiles in a crate.

Someone raises the bridge.

The ice-breaker approaches.

The swan stares without pause.