IRMA KURTI

 

 

In My Universe

 

Days fall into the abyss; paths open

and close again. There is noise and

much politics, anger and resentment.

But inside me, so much joy and light!

 

I’ve never laughed like this, with my

body, soul, and spirit! Days are taken

up by your name. The roads grow

shorter, and I watch you from one

meter away.

 

Then, I find you somewhere else, in

my heart, where you delete all the

images, the portraits of the past, its

beats, sensations, and emotions.

You are all that is left in my universe.

 

Anonymous Island

 

You are not here when I hide

from the people and from life,

when the sunlight seems distant

and I don’t even want to find it.

 

 

You are not in a word, a caress,

you are not within my day but

in an anonymous island, and so

further away from that shadow

my body and my mind create.

 

IRMA KURTI

 

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path. Kurti has won numerous literary prizes and awards in Albania, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Philippines, Lebanon and China. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. She received the Leonardo da Vinci and Giacomo Leopardi prizes from the Chimera Arte Contemporanea Cultural Association of Lecce. Irma Kurti is a member of the jury for several literary competitions in Italy. She is also a translator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain. Irma Kurti has published more than 100 works, including books of poetry, fiction and translations. Irma Kurti is one of the most translated and published Albanian poets. Her books have been translated and published in 21 countries.