in 1934 Paris.
Adonai Eloheinu
His father gone twelve years,
he was close to his mother,
Karola.
He loved her religion,
and used
YHVH
its symbols
as magical talismans
for protection.
There were Jewish
stars and names of
God
on every page
of the special book
in which he wrote
his dreams,
his fantasies,
and his love
for Claude.
Elohim Ts'vaoth
Sylvain wrote,
claiming protection.
They were both
piano students,
and in Sylvain's words,
Claude was
a virtuoso.
History
YHVH
knows nothing
of Claude now.
Adonai
Paranoia.
Paranoia.
History knows nothing
of Sylvain either,
but Karola,
his artist mother,
fled to Perpignan,
and survived.
YHVH
Sylvain wrote
Claude's name
on every page,
and coupled it
with his.
In shaky Hebrew
printing, he wrote
his talismans
to protect them both.
But by the end of the book,
Claude's name
was joined to another.
I don't know
if Sylvain survived
the Nazis,
but he could not
survive love.
Adonai, Adonai, Adonai
Sylvain's mother
had his special book
rebound in red
half-leather,
with gilded
page tops,
and somehow,
it came to me.
Adonai Eloheinu
Karola is gone now,
as are Sylvain and Claude.
The world forgot,
but I cannot.
May this poem serve
for their Kaddish.
Amen.
1 comment:
The red book in the upper photo is Sylvain's special book. It is an original edition of a book by Maria de Naglowska, which is why I acquired it (I am the translator of Naglowska's works into English).
The painting in the lower photo is by Sylvain's mother, Carole Bataille/Karola Kronenberg. I believe that the red book in the painting represents the book that I have. The jacket probably belonged to Sylvain, and together with the book was all she had left of him. The fruit on the platter is in a bad state. I take the empty basket to represent loss. I don't believe that Karola signed this painting, and she never sold it.
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