January 2025 V-10 N-10 Issue No. 118

 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT In An Interview With NilavroNill

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT

January 2025

NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive, dear poet. I would like to know your personal views on literature or poetry in general. 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: I believe that each valuable literary work stimulates thinking, and a poem created from semantically rich words inspires us to internal concentration and interpretive diversity. That is conversation with domestic readers, and rendered into other languages—with the world. Reading books triggers imagination, enriches vocabulary, knowledge... In a word, by communing with literature, we become wiser.

NILAVRONILL: What are the factors that have influenced you immensely in the growing phase of your literary life? When, most probably, you were not certain of your future as a poet or writer. Is there anyone in your life who influenced you personally to develop your literary skills? Or inspired you to become a poet? Do you think society as a whole is the key factor in shaping up you as a poet, or your poetry altogether?

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: My literary growth was influenced by the multitude of poetic books I read. Sensitivity to the beauty of artistically interwoven words intensified the hunger for next stanzas of authors from various countries. Experiences connected with parachute jumps also played a great role. However, a decisive influence had the encounter with the universal works of Rabindranath Tagore; his philosophy, poetry, prose...

NilavroNill: Is it possible to put into words everything that as a poet you wish to express literarily? If not, why?

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: Unfortunately, not eveything. Human spirituality is richer than the word-creation abilities.

NilavroNill: Do you agree with John Keats (1795-1821) on his ardent belief, “Truth is beauty, beauty is truth”? Even if we take for instance the  wars especially in Europe or the fallout of the Second World War in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how can we manage to reconcile between those truths with beauty as promulgated by Keats? 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: No, I do not agree with Keats. Not every thruth is an expression of beauty and not every perceived beauty is true. All wars are truth and a negation of beauty at the same time.

NilavroNill: Too many writers believe imagery is an essential part of poetry. Do you agree on this notion? Even if we consider Leonardo da Vinci’s words that poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: Imagery in poetry can be its essential part only when these are abstract, polysemous, not fully painted images...

NilavroNill: Do you believe, passionately falling in love with a particular language is essential to excel in poetical ventures? And is it possible to write poems in multiple languages preserving the same literary quality? We would like to know your own experiences. 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: Yes, I believe, as only when you cherish a given language you can open the floodgates of your imagination in literary works. Nonetheless, one can achieve the highest artistry only in their mother tongues.

NilavroNill: Do you consider poetry as emotional outbursts of a poet’s personal sentiments? Or is it a long journey to realize and express the universal sentiments beyond all personal limitations? Again, we want to understand your views through your personal experiences of your literary life as a poet.

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: In a poet’s creativity, emotions are of great significance, but they must be recollected from a distance, in tranquility. An emotional outburst tends to be self-annihilating. Poetry is rather a longer journey. A poet, as a word-giver, is, after all, a traveler across spiritual and existential spaces; a master in an ascetic portraying of the reflections and sensations of that voyage.

NilavroNill: I would like to quote T. S. Eliot, “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists.  You cannot value him alone; you must set him for contrast and comparison among the dead.” We would like to know your views in details on Eliot’s comments. 

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: I agree with Elliot. Hence one of my mottos is: Remembering the dead—the source of longevity (here: of the creative kind). All the more so since “death is not so much the end of life as a new beginning” (M. Gandhi). After all, Elliot himself said, “We fear not death but what after death is not death.” Very close to me is also his thought, “The most important thing for poets is to write as little as possible.”

NilavroNill: Would you consider it should be the goal of a poet to enlighten the readers towards much greater apprehension as well as appreciation of life and eternity in general? Or is it better to write poems only to console the poet’s soul? Do you believe, literature can eventually help people to uplift human conscience?

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: A poet cannot write with the intention of enlightening anyone, if anything, then rather themselves. Nevertheless, their works should take account of life values and fathom eternity. I am not a malcontent, therefore I do not think that human conscience has fallen so much that a mission of a person of letters should be its uplifting… Poetry, however, may allow for the role of conscience in mutual coexistence on the globe. After all, poetry tends to be a wound of conscience, unhealing one because not materialized.

NilavroNill: According to Tagore, poetry is essentially something to enjoy and not to comprehend mere meanings. What are your thoughts in this regard? What do you expect from your readers, should they enjoy your poems more than comprehend the essential meanings or both?

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: It is a great art to write in such a way so that poetry is pleasing. I do not think, however, Tagore believed that it may give joy without comprehending the meanings of particular stanzas. Rabindranath has been accompanying me since I was 17 years old. He is my spiritual guide. And from my readers I expect mutual experiencing the values contained in the poems, and I wait with hope for some of the messages to be of service to them. 

NILAVRONILL: Humanity suffered immensely in the past, and is still suffering around the world. We all know it well. As a poet or even as a literary person, how do you foresee the future of mankind?

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: Humanity needs calm and peace. Nonetheless, there are still wars, for this is what the leaders of some countries are eager for. But let us look around ourselves as well. People argue among themselves; at home, in the neighborhood, literary milieux… then how can there be peace? We must learn the art of compromise, living in harmony, from family to various communities. And governments of countries between themselves. National and international institutions established to stand guard over the world order are frequently powerless. This must change. Otherwise it will lead to a  global catastrophe. What creatures will replace us?! Let us begin a successful battle for peace!

(The Poet’s responses translated into English by Anna Maria Stępień)

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT: (POLAND) Kazimierz Burnat was born in Szczepanowice on the Dunajec River. He graduated from the University of Wrocław and the University of Economics in Wrocław. Long-time director of the ZZSD "Polar" in the city and president of the Polar Sports Club. Creator of scouting for difficult youth as part of the Nieprzetarty Szlak (Untrodden Trail). Paratrooper, former soldier of the Red Berets. Guardian of Places of National Remembrance. His life mottos are: remembering the dead—the source of longevity; doing good—the path to humanity. Polish poet, essayist, translator of Slavic literature, journalist, literary critic, culture animator. Author of 23 books of poetry, including 6 reissues and 7 translations from Czech and Ukrainian, and over 60 collective books with translations of works from these languages, as well as Belarusian, Russian, Slovenian and Hungarian. He edited and provided an afterword or introduction to over 90 different books. Co-author of approximately 370 anthologies and monographs. Translated into over 44 foreign languages. Instructor of literary workshops, juror of competitions. Organizer or co-organizer and active participant of numerous national and international festivals and literary meetings. For years, organizer of the International Poetry Festival "Poets Without Borders" in Polanica-Zdrój. Initiator and organizer of cultural cooperation with the National Union of Writers of Ukraine. Awarded with several Ukrainian Literary Awards for translation activity and popularization of Ukrainian literature abroad, as well as for his own literary output and significant contribution to the revival of spirituality and culture of the Ukrainian nation. He received state, ministerial and regional awards. Honored with the Silver Medal "For Merit to Culture Gloria Artis". Winner of the Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Award (2019), the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Award for outstanding achievements in the field of culture (2022), the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Award for creative achievements (2023) and Shabdaguchha International Poetry Award for significant contribution to world poetry (the U.S./Bangladesh 2023), among others. Honorary Citizen of Polanica-Zdrój. In the years 1995-2004 vice-president, and from 2004-2015 president of the Literary Group "Dysonans"; 2006-2011 editor-in-chief of the social and cultural magazine "Bez kurtyny"; 2007-2015 chairman of the Main Court of Peers of the Polish Writers’ Union (ZLP); 2011-2014 vice-president, and since 2015 president of the Lower Silesian Branch of the ZLP in Wrocław. From 2015-2023 member of the Presidium of the Main Board of the ZLP—chairman of the Qualification Committee. Member of the European Society of Culture, the Social Council for Culture to the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the Journalists’ Association of the Republic of Poland.

 

* * * 

Silence swells within you

you become an oasis

in the ash heap of years

though en route to its depths

you lean on a dubious guardrail

you will reach 

for an unfinished diary

you will complete it solitarily

in the mist of fading photographs

a wealth of separateness

makes you resistant 

to superficial courting

ribbiting of frogs

and effeminate men

yet you fade away

from the inside

* * * 

Awaken me

I shall diligently 

gather the morning moisture

adverse winds will die down

clouds illuminated with a thunderbolt

will uncover the pupils of the world 

with a birch twig in the hand

lead me

along the tiny cricket paths

to the tufts of mature grass

to satisfy desires

with the scent of a scythed meadow

in the twilight of the day

awaken me

Oasis

Along a hardened hornbeam avenue

an imagination therapy

with a stream of details

altering the surroundings

an oak shades

a birch brightens up

the sad yew poems

a uniform of ivy overgrows

on a mossy carpet insects

assist the moss-grown poetry

of the present time –

cypress monotony

of somber décor 

weeping of a willow

soothed with manna of clear honey

fragrant with melliferous blossom

Wonderment

The bedroom door still creaks

and in fathomless linen

phantoms are already born

in the window crevices – music

in the air a flutter of wings

princesses of leas bloom in white

he is haunted by yearning

for almonds

but the eyes replete with light

do not allow him to drift into slumber

life is but a drop

immersion in the outskirts – unrealizable 

one needs to merge into its essence

and relish the ocean

Grandiloquence

It addicts him stronger and stronger

with each day his self

generates newer neuronal pathways

swifter telepathy

but noble objects

distanced

the prospect of contact – remote

who is he

he cannot keep pace

with the unknown temptation

dance of hands does not suffice

the twilight turns green

quarrelsome trees air their crowns

Bacchantes fall silent 

his night is filled with light

he will be a master

a humble life before

now grandiloquence –

aerugo on a pedestal

strong tremors are needed

for him to change the diction

and once more profane the word 

Translation: Anna Maria Stępień

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT

KAZIMIERZ BURNAT (POLAND) Kazimierz Burnat was born in Szczepanowice on the Dunajec River. He graduated from the University of Wrocław and the University of Economics in Wrocław. Long-time director of the ZZSD "Polar" in the city and president of the Polar Sports Club. Creator of scouting for difficult youth as part of the Nieprzetarty Szlak (Untrodden Trail). Paratrooper, former soldier of the Red Berets. Guardian of Places of National Remembrance. His life mottos are: remembering the dead—the source of longevity; doing good—the path to humanity. Polish poet, essayist, translator of Slavic literature, journalist, literary critic, culture animator. Author of 23 books of poetry, including 6 reissues and 7 translations from Czech and Ukrainian, and over 60 collective books with translations of works from these languages, as well as Belarusian, Russian, Slovenian and Hungarian. He edited and provided an afterword or introduction to over 90 different books. Co-author of approximately 370 anthologies and monographs. Translated into over 44 foreign languages. Instructor of literary workshops, juror of competitions. Organizer or co-organizer and active participant of numerous national and international festivals and literary meetings. For years, organizer of the International Poetry Festival "Poets Without Borders" in Polanica-Zdrój. Initiator and organizer of cultural cooperation with the National Union of Writers of Ukraine. Awarded with several Ukrainian Literary Awards for translation activity and popularization of Ukrainian literature abroad, as well as for his own literary output and significant contribution to the revival of spirituality and culture of the Ukrainian nation. He received state, ministerial and regional awards. Honored with the Silver Medal "For Merit to Culture Gloria Artis". Winner of the Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Award (2019), the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Award for outstanding achievements in the field of culture (2022), the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Award for creative achievements (2023) and Shabdaguchha International Poetry Award for significant contribution to world poetry (the U.S./Bangladesh 2023), among others. Honorary Citizen of Polanica-Zdrój. In the years 1995-2004 vice-president, and from 2004-2015 president of the Literary Group "Dysonans"; 2006-2011 editor-in-chief of the social and cultural magazine "Bez kurtyny"; 2007-2015 chairman of the Main Court of Peers of the Polish Writers’ Union (ZLP); 2011-2014 vice-president, and since 2015 president of the Lower Silesian Branch of the ZLP in Wrocław. From 2015-2023 member of the Presidium of the Main Board of the ZLP—chairman of the Qualification Committee. Member of the European Society of Culture, the Social Council for Culture to the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the Journalists’ Association of the Republic of Poland.

 

Li Bai

Immortal Poet

He found the essence of the word 

hidden at the bottom of the chalice.

In the city of Xuan 

he completed his journey of a thousand miles.

He closed in his eyes 

the beauty of the passing landscapes

and in the mouth the sweetness of wine 

and the bitterness of sadness.

A brave wanderer, 

an eternal one by choice

Sometimes the emperor's favourite, 

sometimes an exile

but never a sycophant 

or a man eager for honours

gold, court glitter, academic triumphs.

A poet banished from heaven, 

created for another world.

He speaks through the ages 

in the words of a thousand poems,

where realism 

intertwines with romantic nature,

existence is a great adventure 

and time travel.

Today his poetry takes root 

in everyday speech.

Write A Poem…

Let the verses 

be full of peace, sadness and longing,

encourage contemplation of silence and beauty. 

Let them whisper about life, 

transience, eternity,

death and rebirth in the eternal cycle

Give the world a little bit of yourself.

Talk about emotions 

coming from  your deep inside

like sparkling wine 

from a crystal goblet

full of unexpected flavour

Write a poem…

Turning Around

- How is Peter feeling? – my mother asked 

once again today.

- He's not well. Peter is in the hospital.

This news once again caused astonishment

and painted sadness on her pale face.

Time creaked 

and changed the trajectory of movement.

She thought back to her parents,

happy moments of childhood,

the non-existent dolls and a teddy bear

She played 

with the dog and the kitten again,

stole unripe fruit 

from her neighbour's orchard,

and talked to the bees 

and her favourite cow.

The memories faded away 

and she came back to the present time.

- How is Peter feeling?

Is he okay?

There are no more dolls, teddy bears 

and today.

I am sad and helpless.

Time creaked and rushed forward.

ALICJA MARIA KUBERSKA

ALICJA MARIA KUBERSKA – awarded Polish poetess, novelist, journalist, editor. In 2011 she published her first volume of poems entitled: “The Glass Reality”.  Her second volume “Analysis of Feelings”, was published in 2012. The third collection “Moments” was published in English in 2014, both in Poland and in the USA. In 2014, she also published the novel – “Virtual roses” and volume of poems “On the border of dream”. Next year her volume entitled “Girl in the Mirror” was published in the UK and “Love me”, “(Not) my poem” in the USA. In 2015 she also edited anthology entitled “The Other Side of the Screen”. In 2016 she edited two volumes: “ Taste of  Love” (USA), “Thief of Dreams” (Poland) and international anthology entitled “ Love is like Air” (USA).Next year she published volume in Polish entitled “ View From the Window”, collection of love poems in Arabic and English entitled “ Love like arabesque ( together with Egyptian poet Mandour Saleh Hikiel). In 2018 she published international anthology “Love Postcards” and her volume in Russian entitled “Selected poems”. She is a chief editor of series of anthologies entitled “Metaphor of Contemporary” (Poland). Her poems have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Spain, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Israel, the USA, Canada, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Uzbekistan,  South Korea, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria and Australia. Her volumes were translated into Albanian language by famous poet and academic Mr Jeton Kelmendi, into Telugu language by famous Hindu poet Mr Lanka Siva Rama Prasad, into Turkish by famous Turkish poet Metin Cengiz, into Italian by famous Italian poetess Maria Miraglia and into Arabic by famous Syrian poetess Shurouk Hammouud. She won : distinction (2014) and medal (2015) on Nosside poetry competition in Italy, statuette in Lithuania (2015), medal of European Academy Science, Arts and Letters in France (2018)), award of Cultural Festival International “Tra le parole e l’ infinito” Italy (2018) She was also twice nominated to the Pushcart Prize in the USA. Alicja Kuberska is a member of the Polish Writers Associations in Warsaw (Poland), E- literaci (Poland)and IWA Bogdani, (Albania). She is also a member of directors’ board of Soflay Literature Foundation (Pakistan), Our Poetry Archive (India). She is Polish Ambassador of Culture of The Inner Child Press (the USA). She belongs to Editorial Advisory Board of Sahitya Anand (India) and IPA Editorial (India).

 

The Evening Star

In a cool evening

I watch the little star

Atop the horizon

Marking its august presence

With its bright shine

The soft wind rising from

The meadow caresses it 

With its silky touch and guide

It to the middle of the sky

It is midnight

And I feel dazed as it spills

Streaks of light upon me

As the soft wind caresses 

My face I fall asleep and 

My thoughts

Towards the sky fly away free

The Wind Takes Me

I whisper to the cool wind

And it to me whispers back

With a smooth flow it drifts

Me towards the beautiful lake

I lie and dream at the edge 

Of the lake for the whole day

As the evening falls the wind

Comes swiftly and takes me away

We fly over empty barns

Silent meadows, fields and bay

The wind drops me at the place

Where in loneliness I like to stay

I wait for the wind in the 

Next morning to give me rides

To seas and oceans where in the

Blue waters I play with the tides

Deprivation

As the day comes to a close

I hang up my soul inside the

Wardrobe; I inhale the musty

Smells of sweat and feel dizzy;

I forget the day’s labour; the

Humiliations of being poor;

The taunts and curses of kings;

I live in death since my birth.

As the night descends, I ask

Myself for lending me a dream;

That would let me fly away to

A realm beyond consciousness

Where peace takes care of my soul.

ANIL KUMAR PANDA

 

Love

I loved and gave

And I didn't get anything from what I dreamed of

I didn't expect anything special

Nothing big, nothing expensive

No passion, no hot kisses, no caresses

Just a little bit of sincere love and respect.

For one hug, warm and tender

A look that would reveal everything to me

I could soar to the heights

To take all the sadness off me

May I continue happily

To love and do my best!

Love is something sublime

It's not a physical relationship

It's a special, mystical relationship

That feeling of connecting soul to soul

In the heart when it takes root

It will never disappear and die!

The primal, real love

It is not visible, it does not advertise

You feel it without any touch

It flickers in you, in your heart

And in the heart of the one for whom

You love him with your all soul!

Waiting For Justice

The ground soaked in tears

So, the grass grows even without rain...

The white tombstones lined up on

The green carpet, not just like that

All in a row, just like as brides in white

At a group wedding

When they are waiting to say that

YES...

The white tombstones are witnesses

To that horror and await justice 

They want to hear from those, that

YES...

It was genocide!

The silence is broken by the sobs of the dead

But still alive, who tombstones hug

Like a child just born...

You can hear the pain that hurts, it hurts a lot

The intense pain hurts you too

You would like to run away 

of this whiteness and this pain

But it's impossible

Your legs are heavy, too heavy...

A stray bird in the air

Fly low and fly away...

Rain fell from the clouds

And crying over the victims...

And already tomorrow

It's a new morning, a new day

And all the same...

 

Sad News

It arrives suddenly, without notice

like a virus, as a Covid

draped in a black cloak

show up at your door

enters among you without knocking

so, like a bolt from the blue

make nothing righter!

Satan consorts with death

so they play the game in the dead of night

sometimes they do it in the early dawn

they randomly choose their victim

like that, without any order

that the chosen one surrenders his soul to them.

That ugly, black-painted news

it reaches those who shouldn't hear it

which is not expected or suspected

it bites at the soul, breaks the heart, 

destroys everything in them

it creates severe, too severe pain for them.

The news, not a bit dear, 

on the contrary, hateful and disgusting

when it knocks on door, 

everything stops immediately

suddenly everyone turns to stone

while tears slide down their faces by themselves

that news took away everything, 

breath and voice from those

who are trying to get away from her, 

who would like to drive it away

but for nothing, it's here...

AZEMINA DOKAZA KLOBODANOVIĆ

 

AZEMINA DOKAZA KLOBODANOVIĆ, born in 1953 in Zenica, writes prose and poetry. She published through online publishers several books of prose in Bosnian and some in English, as well as four books of poetry - "Na Zalasku", "EMOTION GALLERY: Galerija Emocija" (in bilingual form: in English-Bosnian), "Galerija Emocija" and ''Dok još me ima'', in Bosnian.  A new poetry book is currently being prepared. Her works have been published in many domestic and foreign joint collections, and her poems in several international poem anthologies: "Rivers of Love", "Blood on Sand", "Poets for Peace", "Candles of Hope - Anthology of a Thousand Poets'', ''European Women Poets'', ... The quatrain of this author (a poem with only four lines – ''My friend'') in the Bosnian language was published in the multilingual anthology "HYPERPOEM", together with quatrain poems by more than a thousand and six hundred poets from all over the world, from as many as 90 countries and in 50 different languages. This is the first anthology of its kind in the world and is expected to enter the Guinness Book of Records! Azemina is the recipient of many awards and thanks, especially in the field of poetry. To this author it is also assigned seven literary awards "Musa Ćazim Ćatić" in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Her short stories have been published in numerous collections in the region, and her story "WHITE MERCEDES" was published in the British magazine in June 2022, "Write Time Anthology", among the top ten stories, winning second place! Azemina is also the winner of a prestigious award: the Rabindranath Tagore International Award for 2022, which is awarded to internationally recognized authors / poets from all over the world in memory of the outstanding Indian poet, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, Rabindranath Tagore. Only twelve authors/poets received this award in 2022 outside India, and among them was this author. 

 

In Summer

Rosa and her bramble

inhabit the hill

enjoy the view

of sunsets and sunrises

that delight

Dyeing them with black cherry

Of summer 

she makes sweet jams of it

the bramble offers as a gift

the blue of his blackberries.

Those nectarine knots

pale powder flowers

Purple Smudge

beautiful smiles.

Rose at the museum

and love

with spring water

Knead memories and dreams

that swell like yeast

his heart of nostalgia.

The flowers of spring

now they are seeds

Ancient grains

of flours, ripe

enthrones

Warm in the sun

The wonder

in summer.

From the countryside to the sea

accompanies the song

of and blackcaps

or goldfinches on the cypress.

D’estate

Rosa e il suo rovo

abitano la collina

godono la vista

di tramonti ed albe

che deliziano

tingendole d’amarena.

Dell’estate 

lei ne fa dolci confetture

il rovo offre in dono

il blu delle sue more.

Quei nodi nettarini

dei fiori pallidi di ciprie

sbaffan di viola

bellissimi sorrisi.

Rosa sa fare il pane

e l’amore

con acqua di sorgente

impasta ricordi e sogni

che gonfiano come lieviti

il cuor suo di nostalgie.

I fior di primavera

ormai son semi

i grani antichi

di farine, maturi

troneggia

calda nel sole

la meraviglia

d’estate.

Dalla campagna al mare

accompagna il canto

di cince e capinere

o cardellini sul cipresso.

Le Diomedee

The light went down

The sea was left alone

shrouded in darkness and agonizing wails

in the wind that blows from the cliff, black and dark,

And he shouts louder and louder. 

He cried

funeral and fatal lament

Praise and tears to their hero

of his desperate faithful

or Stray.

The Vigil

The dismay

or agitano l'onde

that the islands strike

and the wind is an anthem.

The Achaean hero is dead

The Warrior

Epigoni, Troy

The blood of the soil

it boils in the air.

On these islands

where Diomedes held his foot

Now it's tribulation

legend

love in song.

Hatching

in intercourse

and trembling wings

they sing laments

the shearwaters at the Tremiti.

Le diomedee

Calò la luce

il mare rimase solo

avvolto da tenebre e agonizzanti vagiti

nel vento che dalla scogliera, nera e buia, spira

e sempre più forte grida. 

Si fé pianto

lamento funebre e funesto

lode e lacrime al loro eroe

dei disperati suoi fedeli

or vaganti.

La veglia

lo sgomento

or agitano l’onde

che l’isole percuotono

e il vento è inno.

L’eroe Acheo è morto

il guerriero

Epigoni, Troia

il sangue dei suoli

ribolle nell’aria.

Su queste isole

ove tenne il piede Diomede

adesso è tribolo

leggenda

amor in canto.

Schiudendosi

in amplessi

e fremiti d’ali

cantano lamenti

le berte alle Tremiti.

Land And Love

The summer livery

Savoy cabbage yellow, hopeful green

flag from the field

Sun Dress

The heat matures the voice

of every love verse

and your eyes shining

under the sweaty forehead

mirror a panorama

of land in love.

Warm singing, changes the sound

that the nearer, whisperingly touches

The weak key

yielding to the yes

the notes sing, approving the text

what poetic expression is

descending in a prece.

Lively and fervent vibrations.

Thirst-quenching copious cloud

which takes away the heat

on the hill stands, perched

reassuring every thirst

to the imploring flowers

his coming.

And yet chaste he remains

bucolic love

rises like wind

That the soul steals

redeeming the fulfilling heart

and the sky

He waits for his moon.

Terra e amore

L’estiva livrea

gialla di verza, verde speranzosa

sbandiera dal campo

vestito di sole

il caldo matura la voce

d’ogni verso d’amore

e gli occhi tuoi lucidi

sotto la fronte sudata

specchiano un panorama

di terra innamorata.

Il canto caldo, cambia il suono

che più è vicino, bisbigliante tocca

la chiave debole

arrendevole ai si

le note cantano, approvando il testo

che poetico s’esprime

calando in una prece.

Vibrazioni vive e ferventi.

Dissetante nube copiosa

quale toglie l’arsura

sulla collina sta, posata

rassicurando ogni sete

ai fiori imploranti

la sua venuta.

Eppur casto rimane

l’amor bucolico

si leva come vento

che l’anima ruba

riscattando il cuore appagante

e il cielo

attende la sua luna.

BARBARA DI SACCO

BARBARA DI SACCO is an Italian poet, born in Tuscany in 1964. Her poetry is free, flying like a butterfly, describing landscapes of the Maremma the beautiful countryside and the sea, weaving a fabric of metaphors, concerning feelings about love and existence. The themes vary greatly, on the wings of imagination and inspiration, in her travels introspective, in dreams and in the past of one's own experience.

BARBARA DI SACCO è una poetessa italiana, nata in Toscana nel 1964. La sua poesia libera, vola come una farfalla, descrivendo paesaggi della Maremma la bella campagna e il mare, tessendo un tessuto di metafore, riguardanti sentimenti profondi, su amore ed esistenza. I temi variano molto, sulle ali della fantasia ed ispirazione, nei suoi viaggi introspettivi, nei sogni e nel passato del proprio vissuto.

 

Poor Humanity

Stone stick bow and arrow

Sword, shield and horse were not enough

When one finds gunpowder

Guns, cannons and rifles also arrived

Various bombs

Biological and chemical weapons

For centuries people have killed each other 

But humanity was not dead

Now? No war?

 

As human beings multiply

But its value is diminishing

Humanity can't stand it

He will get sick and die of grief 

Man's future is sad 

Waiting for him

There will only be inhuman crowds

Zavallı İnsanlık

Taş sopa ok yay

Kılıç kalkan at yetmedi

Barutu bulunca biri

Tabanca  top tüfek de geldi

Çeşit çeşit bombalar

Biyolojik ve kimyasal silahlarla

İnsanlar birbirlerini öldürdü asırlarca

Ama ölmemişti  insanlık

Şimdi savaş yok

 

İnsan çoğaldıkça

Değeri azalıyor ama

İnsanlık dayanamaz buna

Hastalanıp ölecek kederinden 

İnsanın geleceği acıklı 

Onu bekleyen sadece

İnsanlıksız kalabalıklar olacak...

Nothing Will Happen To Me

Ignorance is the foundation of courage!

Taking precautions

Being careful is unnecessary

Living without fear

Of any danger

Is our only goal

Even if the reason is obvious

We still ask, with sorrow

Oh! 

What happened?

How old was he?

So young,

Why did we lose him?

Oh dear!

What a shame!

Those who said "Nothing will happen to me"

Have filled the cemeteries...

Bana bir şey olmaz 

Cesaretin temelidir cehalet!

Önlem almak 

Dikkat etmek gereksiz

Hiçbir tehlikeden

Korkmadan yaşamak 

Tek emelimizdir

Sebep aşikar olsa da 

Yine de sorarız üzülerek 

A-a! Ne oldu? 

Kaç yaşındaydı?

Çok da gençmiş,

Neden kaybettik?

Vah vah vah! 

Tüh tüh tüh!

Bana bir şey olmaz diyenler

Doldurdular mezarlıkları...

The Repairman

Without skipping a city, town, or village

I will travel across countries

While wandering through the streets

I will find shy hearts hidden in corners

To those hearts full of longing and sorrow

I will speak to the sooty, rusty, broken hearts

Your repairman has arrived, the repairman!

I will distribute patience and joy

To those with empty stomachs

I will nourish them with hope

With my strongest words of love

I will soothe them all

To the heart-breakers

If only you had known their value

You wouldn't have broken them, I will say

I will repair them all

Hearts will feel relieved

They will hold all their loved ones inside

I will also fill them with courage

Even if armies come

They won’t be able to break their hearts

There will be no more broken, sooty, rusty,

Shy hearts left in this world

I will repair them all...

Tamirci

Şehir kasaba köy demeden

Ülkeleri gezeceğim

Sokaklarında dolaşırken

Kıyıya köşeye saklanmış 

Mahcup kalpleri bulacağım

İçi hasret ve hüzünle dolmuş olanlara  

İsli paslı kırık kalplere sesleneceğim

Tamirciniz geldi, tamirci!

Sabır ve neşe dağıtacağım

Karnı aç olanları 

Umutla doyuracağım 

En güçlü sevgi kelimelerimle 

Ferahlatacağım hepsini

Kalp kıranlara

Bilseydiniz kıymetini 

Keşke kırmasaydınız diyeceğim

Tamir edeceğim hepsini

Ferahlayacak kalpler

Tüm sevdikleri içine sığacak

Cesaret de yükleyeceğim 

Ordular gelse

Kıramayacak kalplerini

Dünyada kırık isli paslı 

Mahcup kalp hiç kalmayacak

Tamir edeceğim hepsini...  

BARBAROS İRDELMEN

Dr. BARBAROS İRDELMEN, born in 1952, is a writer and poet and a retired medical doctor. He lives in Istanbul, Turkey. His poems have been selected for anthologies, poetry festivals and selection books in Turkey and abroad; he is a poetry columnist for Edebiyat Magazin Newspaper, a writer for Kybele Culture and Art Magazine, a member of the editorial board of Kirpi Literature and Thought Magazine, a member of the research and editorial board of Papirüs Magazine and a member of the Writers Union of Turkey. At the Ithaca Foundation, he has ensured that Poems Without Borders, which has been published in multiple languages since 1984, will be published in Turkish as of July 2024, and he is also a member of the ITHACA family of translators.

1952 doğumlu Dr. Barbaros İrdelmen, yazar, şair ve emekli tıp doktorudur. Türkiye'de İstanbul'da yaşıyor. Şiirleri yurt içi ve yurt dışında antolojilere, şiir festivallerine ve seçme kitaplara seçilmiş; Edebiyat Magazin Gazetesi'nde şiir köşe yazarlığı, Kybele Kültür ve Sanat Dergisi'nde yazar, Kirpi Edebiyat ve Düşünce Dergisi yayın kurulu üyesi, Papirüs Dergisi araştırma ve yayın kurulu üyesi ve Türkiye Yazarlar Birliği üyesidir. Ithaca Vakfı'nda 1984 yılından bu yana birçok dilde yayınlanan Sınır Tanımayan Şiirler'in Temmuz 2024 itibarıyla Türkçe olarak yayınlanmasını sağlamış olup aynı zamanda ITHACA çevirmen ailesinin bir üyesidir.

 

Story

A flower that grows from the sky,

Through the Field of Sadness

conceived from the hero's blood

He lives forever.

A red drop through the stem scrapes him

Hot through space circling

In an empty forest with no ancestor or pre ancestor.

From the Dark Crown of the Mad Flower

A tower of New and the Old World grows.

The End

From Your Fairytale Beauty

The water is petrified at the spring

Smile screams

A soft shadow in the step moves.

Like a sound of soft wings will leave

A life that withers will fall into oblivion

Like the autumn leaves

The memories will live on.

The memory will remain with us

Will fall asleep like a secret

Time will take everything else

It's the way we live our lives.

A Kind Of Haiku

It's hidden behind

You can't see it

while spying.

That Hand

Caressing the beetles

From a river.

Saves 

Warm nest

For a singing bird.

On the arm

A Kiss Is Pressed

For the sake of happiness.

It's a beautiful tree

From somebody's shore

From the other side, it is seen.

BLAGICA STANOESKA

BLAGICA STANOESKA, 73 years old, retired. Writes poetry and prose. Presented in literary collections in Northern Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Russia.

 

It's You...

You're my smile.

And a tear trapped in the corner of his eye.

You are my embrace of refuge.

And empty hands.

My "I'm fine" even when I'm not well.                               

You are my inspiration.

Song.

Verse.

And the incomprehensible between the lines.

You are my three points in the songs.

Never period.

You are my "to heaven."

Forever.

A promise that is not trampled.

You're my spring. April.      

Which is why I'm forgetting November.

You're my good night.

And when the night is all, it's just easy.

You are my first thought upon waking up.

And one last thought before the dream.

You are my pain.

And a cause of indescribable happiness.

Border,

Which is why no one

Never,

It won't get close enough to me.

I'm going to stay away from everyone, 

Even when I'm here.

You're my girl.

And the woman who lifts me high up,

It's like I'm a feather.

You're my painter.

The canvas is my soul.

She painted herself on it.

You're mine yesterday

Mine today.

My tomorrow.

You are my imaginary desire.

Prayer.

My "Take Care".

You are my conscience.

And common sense.

It's all mine.

It's just that you're not mine.

Of The Bright-Minded Muse 

Do you know that everything is mine, 

That you are all that I write, 

And hope for, and pray? 

You're the reason I exist and breathe.               

Did you know that the most beautiful verse 

You are the song of my life,  

It's my most beautiful rhyme, 

My ballad of love and happiness.          

You're everything 

Your heart has always wanted to have. 

Do you know that you are my joy

—an amulet that guards me from all evil? 

Do you know you're all mine

And pagan, and all that is sacred, 

That the morning of my day 

Thou art my morning sunshine 

And my clover dew full?                     

You are the meaning of my life 

And the strength and faith that runs through life

They lead me and carry me. 

Do you know, do you know

All I want is you, 

Everything I live for and fight for

Modern Times

Modern times, my friends.

Questions piled up about the reasons

Why is it that the unspoken never begins to be told?

Silence...

In the street, like chestnuts,

Envy and malice are being sold.

The squares echoed with malice,

To those who have lost their lives,

So why not get involved in someone else's work?

They gossip on the table every day.

Reheating it for dinner, 

They try to cover up the taste of their own failure. 

Excuses like dumplings in their throats stop.

And they can't swallow them.

On the other side of the pond are the accidents.

Modern times, friends

To stay normal today,

E Privilege

Of a few.

CEDOMIR B. SHOPKIC

CHEDOMIR B. SHOPKIĆ is a representative of Macedonian contemporary poetry. He was born on September 22, 1959 in Smederevo, Republic of Serbia. He completed his primary education at "Naum Ohridski" Elementary School and "Mirce Acev" Elementary School, and secondary education at the "Kocho Racin" high school with economic classes in Gjorce Petrov, in Skopje. He completed his education at the Faculty of Economics, major - economic policy and development at the University "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje. In his more than three decades of working life, he worked as a journalist, radio host, reporter, editor. For a number of years, he has expressed his creativity through a variety of initiatives that aim to improve people's lives. He actively participates and is the holder of projects in the field of culture and the publishing activity of magazines and books in Braille and in audio recordings approved by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonia. He ended his working life on August 25, 2023 at NU NUB "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Skopje, where he performed his duties at the workplace - Editor of a program for publishing activity. From October 28, 2000 to May 1, 2014, he was the editor and host of the only radio show for people with disabilities in Macedonia, "Panta Rei", which was broadcast on Macedonian Radio, Radio Skopje - The First Program Service. Since 1980, he has continuously participated in several projects for radio and television shows on the First Program of the Macedonian Radio - Radio Skopje and on the Second Program of the Macedonian Radio; for several private radio and television stations in the country, among which: "Our step" [Sound recording] 2001; "Find A Way" [Soundtrack] 2002; "Step forward" [Audio recording] 2003; "Informing Blind People - Between Reality and Possibility I read, hear and write - I exist = (Informing Blind People - Between Reality and Possibility I read, hear and write - I exist) - Defective theory and practice. 2004 In 2003, his translation of the book "Equality of Persons with Disabilities - Guide for Visually Handicapped Women" by the Finnish writer Satu Lindgren was published in Macedonian. In 2014, his translation of the book "Optimism" by Helen Keller was published in Macedonian language in audio format, in Braille and conventional printing. In 2015, his translation of the book "The Life and Work of Louis Braille" by Pierre Henri in the Macedonian language was also published. In 2016, he translated into Macedonian two books: the collection of poems "Bistrica" and the novel "Visit of Prokletia" by the Serbian poet and writer Milutin Srbljak. He creates poetry from an early age, but begins to present his poetry in 2018 with his first book - a poetry collection "Guardian of the dream, my angel" with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM. In 2023, the second edition of the book "Guardian of the dream, my angel" was published. In 2019, his book-professional monograph "Improving library services for people with reading difficulties" was published. Also, in 2019, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM, the first edition of the audio magazine of the Library Association of Macedonia "IDAT DAYS" was published, where he is the editor-in-chief. In 2020, his book-collection of poetry "THE TIMELINE OF INFINITY" was published with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM, and in 2021 the second edition of the poetry collection book "THE TIMELINE OF INFINITY" was published. With the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM, the audio book "TIMELINE OF INFINITY" and the first edition of the audio magazine of NU NUB "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Skopje "VIDICI" where he is the editor-in-chief. In the first half of 2023, the third amended and supplemented edition of the poetry collection book "TIMELINE OF INFINITY" was published. In 2022, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM, the following were published: his book - a collection of poetry "Invisible Presence" and the second issue of the NU NUB audio magazine "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Skopje "VIDICI" where he is the editor-in-chief. The book-collection of poetry "DIRTY VEIL" was published in 2023 with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of RSM. His poems published in Macedonian and in other languages in literary magazines for literature, culture and art in Macedonia and abroad, in several joint books, domestic and international collections, anthologies, almanacs and anthologies with authors from the countries of the former SFR Yugoslavia and from other countries. His aphorisms, humorous and satirical texts have been published in several radio broadcasts and magazines in the former SFR Yugoslavia dealing with this genre. He participated in numerous poetry meetings and poetry festivals in the country and abroad in: Belgrade, Tuzla, Skopje, Vienna, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Subotica, Inđija, Soko Banja, Kruševac, Bitola, Prilep, Ohrid, Kruševo, Demir Hisar, Kichevo, Shtip, Kumanovo, Kratovo, Sveti Nikole, Negotino... Shopkić's poetry has been awarded several times by prestigious and renowned associations and institutions in the country and in the Balkans for his poetry and participation in poetic manifestations.

 

Memories Of Love 

On a day like this, memories grow tall 

The lyre sounds love songs

There is no stopping 

She gets carried away too 

from the rushing river 

of memories of love 

which incessantly violate 

the hard wall 

of indifferent and unfair everyday life

We are really so close to each other

without an escape route 

one from the other 

which even Spring still envies

the flowering 

of our body, heart, soul 

So many years together 

and we are still running

holding hands 

in the green meadows of happiness 

Not even a grain of sand of our love 

let it fall and disappear 

in the fragile body of a world 

blind and relentless

The Materials

The ingredients of a trip 

in the depths of space 

they always remain indestructible, eternal 

like apocryphal gospels 

that stand the test of time 

and the tests 

They shock with their majestic silence

They are constantly teaching us 

the Unquenchable Truth 

The materials of a course 

at the edges of the Universe 

they always remain full 

words of triumph 

and bright hopes

They transform for our sake

in heavenly Ithaca,

in heavenly Paradises

They give us the keys to infinity 

to invade triumphantly 

in the houses of other worlds 

which wait over us 

heartbreak of sacred passions

and secret history

A Sea Of Light

I have no other clothes 

but only the cloak 

of eternal night 

The uniform of my world course 

it is nothing more than a worn-out garment

full of altered memories 

which I am still ashamed of 

and wear it

Within its overflowing folds 

I hid little seeds from my unripe quests 

I have nothing left 

only the silence of the abyss 

and a crazy dream 

from my child age

For his sake I forgot

my other dreams, strange promises 

irresponsible fools,

supreme pleasures 

which were never fulfilled 

I only harbored an irrational desire

To move away from the undead darkness.

and to dive forever 

in the sea of my inner truth

Remember Me!

Remember me darling!

Now I am leaving for an irreversible journey 

in the endless glaciers 

of eternity 

full of strange feelings,

scattered dreams,

stray desires 

that wail incongruously

I am accompanied by otherworldly faces of altered memories 

of a future I lived 

centuries ago 

Remember me darling

now that they are born in me 

the hopes that one day I will be reborn

in a life I have yet to learn 

to live

Now everything seems to me 

incomprehensible, unknown, distant

but auspicious at the same time

Remember me darling

like a mist of crystal water 

which at some point quenched thirst 

from your dry lips,

like a lusty guilt of passionate love,

like someone's busy day 

of a paradox game

without winners and losers 

Remember me my eternal love!

CHRISTOS DIKBASANIS

CHRISTOS DIKBASANIS is a poet, writer and scholar of religions. He was born in Thessaloniki, where he graduated from the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He holds a Master's Degree from the Theological School with a specialization in Religious Studies. It has also been included in the "Great Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature" of Haris Patsi publications and in the Who's Who of journalists. He has been honored with many national and international awards for his poems.

 

My Love For You

Like the bitter orange 

I bloom, every time,

without hope, 

while the wind carries away 

the last shred of my heart.

So, at the dawn 

of the new day, 

autumn has transformed, 

along with the foliage 

also, my love for you. 

Only the memory remains 

of a time gone, 

of a bitter orange tree 

which today bends in the wind

and of a forgotten love. 

Concetta La Placa@ t.d.r.

The Memory Of Us

I remember, love, that's what I called you, when that day 

you came from far away. 

Your arrival was like a ray of light, illuminating my life

 and the world around.

I saw you suddenly arrive there

 in that great Square, 

walking towards me, proudly.

Wonderful was that embrace 

that enveloped us and transformed us 

into one happiness. 

They were moments of eternity. 

 You and me, enveloped by a wave 

of love. 

Today, even though you are no longer with me,

I close my eyes and hear the roar 

of our love, which will never fade.

Concetta La Placa@t.d.r.

This Stillness Around Me

This stillness around me

fills me 

with your bitter silence 

full of incoherent contradictions 

This silence resounds 

with its echo in my heart 

and seems to silence

the rhythm of my vital beats.

This apparent calm

conceals only a war 

underground,

with no armistice between us. 

It is a tranquility 

that surrounds us and arises only

from the escape from love 

that sometimes leads consumes you.

It is an evident emptiness

that leaves, around me, 

beyond our silence,

also, my despondency.

I wonder if it will return, between us, 

the noise and the power 

of our love

and of our ancient passion.

Concetta La Placa@ t.d.

CONCETTA LA PLACA

CONCETTA LA PLACA: Country: Rome, Italy. Concetta La Placa is an Italian poet, writer and aphorist. Born in Sicily, she has lived in Rome since 2006. She is married, mother of two children and grandmother of three grandchildren. She has worked as a ministerial official in the Social Policies sector (Childhood and Adolescence and the Fight against Poverty) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. As of 1 April 2024, she took early retirement. She started writing and composing poetry at the age of 15. Today, she is present on the international poetry scene because she has published her poems and various short stories (some of which are also dedicated to children) in numerous prestigious anthologies of various national and international contemporary authors. Personal Collections of Poems: 2018: 'Cosmic Love', a small collection of five poems presented unpublished at the 'VI International Prize City' Poetry Competition in Sarzana, receiving the Diploma of Merit. Subsequently incorporated into her first publication, 'Cosmic Love and Emotions In The Wind'. 2021: 'Cosmic Love and Emotions In The Wind' (ISBN 13979 8711159445), a collection of fifty-four poems published on Amazon with the publishing house 'Munir Mezyed Foundation for Arts and Culture of Romania'. 2022: 'Tracimi Del Cuore', a collection of seven poems published with the publishing house 'Pagine'. 2023: 'Emozioni Fluttuanti', a poetry notebook of fifteen poems published by Vitale Publishing House. 2024: 'Emozioni, Amore, Ricordi In Sicilia In Versi', a poetic notebook of fifteen poems published by Vitale Publishing House. 2024: "VERSI DI PACE, D'AMORE, DI FEDE E DI LIBERTA' - Un Efface Antidoto Contro Tutte Le Guerre", a poetic notebook of fifteen poems published by Vitale Editore.. Awards and Acknowledgements. In the field of national and international poetry competitions, Concetta La Placa has received numerous honourable awards and mentions of merit.

 

I'm Fighting

 I fight the storm of life,

 I don't let her blows break me

 I know I'm stronger than her

 I have already defeated all defeats...

I don't let the wind hurt me

with his power throw to the bottom,

while the branches slap me violently,

and the cold air travels through me,

I resist, I bite and I don't allow 

his power to be more powerful than me.

 Alone, but not weak,

 I cast a longing glance towards the gloomy clouds, 

 who tower over me

 but I don't let them cover the sun in my heart 

 with the will to live I defeat them and greet them,

 as they sadly leave.

 They tried to wound me, but wounds are my strength,

 they tried to trample me but my will defeat them,

 they wanted to see me at the bottom

 but the bottom was running away from me. 

 These are people, those who don't recognize well,

 they already glorify evil,

 those who are defeated

 because they wanted to defeat.

 And life is tricky,

 his hand reaches everyone

 regardless of the distance...

 And I love him

 he is not always merciful

 but I appreciate his rougher side...

 I appreciate it because it made me stronger,

 and turned my fear into strength!

 I don't let myself be defeated,

 I don't let myself be broken

 I walk the paths of life,

 for my resolve will not fade,

 what I carry inside me is my wealth!

Scars Of Victory

 I too once felt the bottom of life, 

 how he hugs me and pulls me to him,

 but I rose up wearing a crown,

 the crown of a lioness whose strength reached the very top.

 I once felt fear too,

 I didn't run away from him, I accepted him,

 realizing that life without fear

 it would not be so meaningful and have its own purpose.

 Many times I lost my breath,

 fighting the waves of life, 

 so heavy that they tried to drown me 

 but their failure was my victory.

 I didn't let the darkness go out

 the light of my soul,

 I did not allow weakness 

 to break my strength,

 I didn't allow myself to look for myself

 I lose my sense of existence.

 True, I got lost a couple of times,

 but I found myself even stronger,

 struggling with the shackles of pain,

 I was glowing with the flame of life.

 I burned, I didn't burn, 

 I was surrounded by rocks, 

 encountered stumbling blocks

 but giving up was not my choice.

 Traces of my struggle remained somewhere behind,

 in past times,

 whoever travels my ways will see them,

 and only then will he be able to say:

 "Eh, yes, there used to be her,

 a woman followed by defeats

 but not defeated!"

 And today I wear my scars with pride,

 because in their tracks 

 I found myself. 

My Slavonia, My Homeland

 Although the distances separate us, they are my homeland,

 you exist in my heart forever, know

 maybe I'm somewhere else now

 but when I left your plains, it was not a farewell for me.

 Your beauty departs from golden fields,

 it is permanent and does not pass,

 I keep you in my soul, my Slavonia,

 all your meadows and your grain fields.

 Distances are nothing when true love is there,

 when memories of childhood remain in the memory,

 and it never falls into oblivion, no,

 what is worth does not disappear from the heart.

 I will come to you again one day,

 when the morning dawns, 

 and I'll hug every corner of you,

 My Slavonia, my homeland.

 There is nothing like your beautiful plains,

 that put a smile on many faces,

 who has not met Slavonija,

 he doesn't know what secrets she hides.

 Peace, small modest villages,

 children's faces joyful and cheerful,

 and the calloused hands of one who wakes up at dawn,

 because hard-working, hard-working people live in my homeland.

 My Slavonia, be good to me, 

 may you be protected by worthy people,

 there is little smell like from my area,

 I will fly again, eager for your hug.

DANIJELA ĆUK

DANIJELA ĆUK: Autor's name is Danijela Ćuk. She was born on May 25, 1989. in Vukovar with residence in Rijeka (Croatia). She writes poetry, so far she has published two independent collections of poetry and participated in 20 joint collections. She graduated from high school for tourism. With her poetry, she advocates for peace in the world.

 

Somewhere Someone Exists

Somewhere someone exists

And the hard times are forgotten

Wants faced in daily life evaporate 

Like a bride with prospects so many

Spring pours and shines

Life smiles whistling sprightly 

with the kisses of wind 

Mesmerizing with the magical notes of the cuckoo

Unfolding the petals of the budding blossoms

Spreading radiant shades of hues 

with the singing streams.

Somewhere someone exists

And the dormant dull life flaps its wings

Boredom perishes replacing excitement 

Frustration fades fast and longing for life germinates

The dreary waste land starts yielding overnight

As life's fear and apprehension decay 

Thoughts, hopes and dreams become unexpectedly friendly 

Life in elegant love then does look

So enchanting and gracefully green!!

The One Within

I always move like air

I am with me within

Here there everywhere

I am nowhere but within me

All dauntless in my world 

A butterfly with hues of rainbow

At times a least entity 

Trapped in the cobwebs

Sensing a certain unease

The unfathomable depth within me

The Princess, the old Evil Spirit 

And with the twelve-foot-long sword

The prince on the white stallion

The universe, azure sky, stars, planets

And the galaxy, all within me

And me in ceaseless quest for the endless possibilities 

I am the one within me

Moving around my center on my axis.

My Innocence  

Know not why everything around 

does look so absurd and hazy

Know not why my world falters 

like a pendulum and is so muzzy 

Know not why things don't remain

the same when not densely fuzzy

Know not why my sincere words 

never ever make them a bit crazy

Know not why my life quite blurry 

whereas some others' so cozy

Know not why like a chameleon

they change but never go mazy

Know not why I often fail to smile 

and unexpectedly I feel so dizzy 

Know not why darkness wraps me 

and lights cannot keep me busy

Know not why troubles trouble

and me always undeniably oozy

Know not why plights hug me hard

and my innocence sees things rosy.

DASHARATH NAIK

DASHARATH NAIK (DOB 23.06.1964) hails from Bijadihi in the district of Sundargarh, Odisha in India. A student of English Literature, Sri Naik likes all the genres especially poetry. He himself writes for pleasure and Humanity is his main concern.

 

A New Beginning

Peaceful happy feeling embrace me

Feeling their blissful essence all around

Like a new chapter is beginning finally

After long periods under dark clouds

The light is shining brighter

The peace and calm bring hope

Making life look lively and joyful once more

Giving the road ahead more scope.

Donna McCabe ©

Calm Waters

I now bask in calm waters

After the most turbulent of storms

Relishing the peace and quiet

The everyday norms

Soaking in sunshine

Refuelling energy tanks

Taking nothing for granted

Not even life’s bank

Enjoying one day at a time

Knowing how precious it is

Healing in light and love

Cherishing this precious gift.

Donna McCabe ©

Colour My World

You colour my dreams with positivity

Allow me to blossom and grow

In my own unique way

Encourage where others have constantly discouraged

Always chase those demons of doubts away

Been my anchor through many a storm that blew

My rock on which to lean and hold

Yes you colour every aspect of my life

The most precious soul I have had the pleasure to know.

Donna McCabe ©

Eclipsed…

The moon herself grows dark

Shadowed but for a time

Another cycle come to an end

A dramatic event too behold

A breathtaking sight to feel

As a new chapter begins.

Donna McCabe ©

Feminine Connections

Us women of every shape and form

Of every land on earth are connected

We are the faces of a goddess in human form

We are imbued with deep courage and strength

Warriors in the art of life and rebirth

Our shoulders are made to bare

The weight and knocks of life's brutal brunts.

Donna McCabe ©

Freed…

A feeling of uncaged liberation takes hold

A taste of freedoms so long denied, even forgotten

In many little ways

Now wanting to experience them all

To see, to feel, to touch

To participate in life with unadulterated passion

Fly free like the birds upon high

Living life to its fullest

Never questioning why.

Donna McCabe ©

DONNA MCCABE

DONNA MCCABE is an established poet from South Wales, UK, with over twenty years’ experience. Her work has gained her multiple accolades within her field of literature. From being published in journals, magazines and anthologies both nationally and internationally, she is also a respected admin on many social media pages as well as having her own Instagram page and poetry page.

 

The Value Of Volunteering

Strength to improve the quality of life

prevent human suffering and give proper dignity

to change the future association of united people

safe aid for every type of vulnerability.

Concrete solutions and infinite effective availability

to respond to the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality

hoping for brotherhood among peoples always blooming

garden of independence, unity and universality.

Three emblems symbolize help, protection and respect

always at the base of all its actions in the world

that animates it with the cry of the motto: “Tutti Fratelli”.

International Red Cross what it does is with great affection

is given with a sincere heart and from the depths.

Symbols of protection crescent moon and red crystal true jewels.

The Strong Woman

I had known you in the fullness of your energy

severe with a kind heart but without giving me friendship.

You the mother and I the daughter each in her role,

freedom and respect, from the nest you taught to take flight

to know how to get by on my own and be independent

and be aware of your discreet presence.

As the years passed, pain and difficulty

have brought you closure and denied openness to happiness.

Then your life changed, I the mother and you the daughter,

from your green eyes the shine shone despite everything

that disease that in one day made you arrive everywhere

retracing the past living only for today

now you seek help and company you who gave support

to me and the other children without ever saying you were tired

I understood what it means to no longer have a mother who stands by.

It Is An Immense Joy

The poet who writes his emotions

inside himself already wants to share them

effective means the radio broadcasts

recited word helps to live better

gives the right rhythm of images and actions

becoming real scenes to see

accompanied by melodic sounds

that the voice can make real.

Remarkable pleasure to immerse oneself in the waves

of the radio as of the immense ocean

nourished by words that warm the heart

they pass through deep cosmic souls

then the most sensitive ones take by the hand

embrace each one with sincere love.

ELISA MASCIA

ELISA MASCIA: Born in Santa Croce di Magliano (Cb), on 13/04/1956, she lives and works in San Giuliano di Puglia (Cb).  She is a retired teacher.  She is a writer, poet, declaimer, radio host, reviewer, sworn in poetry competitions, cultural promoter. Writing is a real need in life and is inspired by whatever or event surrounds it. She has participated in many national and international poetry competitions, obtaining prizes, certificates of participation, merits and honorable mentions.  You receive invitations to participate in multiple international and world events, commemorative and thematic events.- In July 2019 the first collection of poems was published in the Silloge entitled "La Grattugia della Luna" with "L’ inedito Letterario ".- She participated in 10 editions of the Histonium Prize and in 2019 with the Silloge of 10 unpublished poems inspired by 10 paintings by the great artist and poet Erminio Girardo who held the role of teacher for her, marking a decisive turning point in the activity of poetess-writer .- You have translated some poems by the poet NilavroNill Shoovro and included in the annual anthologies and monthly archive of world poets edited by the same poet-publisher.  The book of poems "Savage Wind" published by "L’Inedito" by poet Asoke Kumar Mitra was translated and edited in September 2019.- Since February 2020 she is a collaborator in Radio Krysol Internazionale directed by Manuel Antonio Rodriguez Retamal in the program Maktub Azur palabras de amor y vida and co-host with Mariela Porras Santana in the program En Alas del Fénix.  Present on the youtu.be channel with video declamation of your own poems and of other authors in Italian and Spanish languages. - Since February 2021 she has been the creator, organizer and presenter of the Sentieri di vita program broadcast on Radio Krysol Internazionale. - She donor of voice within the projects: A voice of the dark-Theater in the dark-by Pietro La Barbera. - Since February 2020 she is a member and founder of WikiPoesia.- She is Academic, Coordinator and Administrator of Italy in the Luso-Brasileiro Albap Academy.- She is a member of the Poetas del mundo Movement.- She is the editor of a web page, dedicated to the dissemination of culture, from the editorial staff of Alessandria today, an online newspaper, directed by dr.  Pier Carlo Lava. She is Grihaswamini's ambassador in Italy. - She is a member and participant in the prestigious Golden Family of the Munir Mezyed Foundation for Art and Culture-Romania. - Collaboration with the Nicaraguan periodist Carlos Javier Jarquin. Enrolled in Writers Capital Foundation - Member of the European Executive Council of RENAISSANCE MILLENNIUM III of George Onsy.- Member of the Thrinakìa Prize Jury, President Orazio Maria Valastro - He started drawing and painting for this  is enrolled in El Umbral de las Artes and Nueva Era Cultural for the exhibition of art in the virtual gallery. - From September 2021 collaboration with Ecopoeticos Radio. Poetry Recitation Program