“My Encounter” — a poem by Roodly Laurore (translated by Jerrice J. Baptiste)

January 29th, 2022

“Bebop in Green,” by Henry Denander

My Encounter

A concert for lovers
Romantic space
For an eternal memory.
Well-dressed musicians
Well decorated scene.
.
Each note inspires exact words
To win Ghislaine’s heart,
The beauty of my youth.
I’m in seventh heaven
My heart beats
To rhythm of the music.

More time passes,
More sounds bring me
Closer to her until
I settle in her heart.
Music, my source
Of inspiration.

The French version, as originally written by Mr. Laurore

Ma Rencontre

Un concert pour les amoureux
Espace romantique
Pour un souvenir éternel
Musiciens bien habillés
Scène bien décorée.

Chaque note inspire les mots exacts
Pour conquérir le cœur de Ghislaine
La beauté de ma jeunesse.
Je me sens au septième ciel.
Mon cœur bat au rythme de la musique.

Plus le temps passe,
Plus les sons m’emportent
Me rapprocher d’elle jusqu’à ce que
Je m’installe dans son cœur.
Musique, ma source d’inspiration.

___

Roodly Laurore was born in La Gonave, Haiti, and has been writing poetry all of his adult life. His poems have been published and are forthcoming in Kosmos Journal and Solstice Literary Magazine. He has a career as an engineer. He is a unique story teller, the father of two sons, and resides in Haiti with his wife.

Jerrice J. Baptiste is the author of eight books and a poet in residence at the Prattsville Art Center in New York. She was also the recipient of a residency at the Omega Institute in 2019. Her work has been extensively published in The Yale Review, Kosmos Journal, The Caribbean Writer, Mantis, Penumbra Literary & Art Journal Eco Theo Review, The Minetta Review and many others. She teaches poetry where she lives in New York.