André Duhaime
Translated by By Serge Tome

BICYCLETTE [BICYCLE]

l'auto
et les bicyclettes
sous les feuilles

the car
and bicycles
under fallen leaves

travaux de voirie
les vêtements colorés
des cyclistes matinaux

road construction
the colored clothing
of morning bikers

- 30 degrees Celsius
derrière la vitrine givrée
un cycliste passe

- 21 degrees Fahrenheit
behind the frosted shop window
a biker shadow

au parcomètre
une bicyclette sans selle
ensevelie sous la neige

at a parking meter
a bicycle without saddle
buried beneath the snow

promenade à bicyclette
maintenant le siège de bébé
est pour les toutous

bicycle ride
this year the baby seat
is for her teddy bear

FLORE ET FAUNE [Flora and Fauna]

les fleurs de Monet
à côté de la fenêtre
où rage l'hiver

flowers of Monet
near the window
where fumes winter

entre ses chats
l'enfant au sourire
feint de dormir

between his cats
the child with the smile
feigns sleep

sur le pyjama
du bébé endormi
les yeux ouverts des moutons

on the pajamas
of the sleeping baby
the open eyes of lambs

pissenlits et mauvaises herbes
papa les aime
seulement sur mes dessins

dandelions and weeds
daddy likes them
on my drawings only

ce papillon sur la chaise
a gardé les couleurs
des fleurs qu'il a butinées

this butterfly on the chair
has kept the colors
of the flowers he has gathered

Born in Montreal in 1948, André Duhaime has lived in the area of Outaouais since 1971. He is a French professor, foreign language. Since the end of the Seventies, his literary activity is characterized by the exploration and adaptation to the sensitivity of the québécoise of the traditional forms of Japanese poetry ["haiku", "renku" and "tanka"].

He has published many collections, anthologies and articles.

He leads writing workshops in various genres and he does literary translations.

For a few years, he has worked in the electronic publishing, as webmaster and Literary Director of the Internet site "Haiku without borders" ( http://pages.infinit.net/haiku).