APRILIA ZANK

APRILIA ZANK

I Am A Wanderer

preaching

wordless sermons

to stray dogs

I am a seagull

in a self-made cage

aching for waves

I am a rope dancer

for a smile and a dime

I am a stamp

on the wrong letter

and the right letter

in the wrong word

I am the keyword

to the lock

of a doorless house

I am homeless

inside a home

inside a stone house

I am a burning stone

I am embers

glowing in the dark

I am a wanderer

roaming for light

On Looking At A Blackbird

 In Deep Winter

dark flight from the bare branch

into the snow

on the shores of the Blue Sea

drifting seagulls, white paper boats

the hourglass has stopped

no brooding wrinkles the forehead of the sea

the sun hangs in the sky

like an overripe apple

our bodies

naked

the blackbird flies back

I Saw A Man

on the subway platform

thin face

edgy cheek bones

black full beard

I thought it was Jesus

he collected signatures

on the skin of his arms

and empty bottles

from waste containers

to send messages

on parchment rolls

asked for addresses

mumbled something

about salvation

while trains speeded

past his ulcerous feet

but nobody listened

people were in a hurry

to catch the next connection

to call home

or elsewhere

to make arrangements

for dinner

nobody listened

APRILIA ZANK

Dr. APRILIA ZANK is a lecturer for Creative Writing and Translation Theory from Germany. She is also a poet, a translator and editor of anthologies. She writes verse in English and German, and was awarded a prize at the “Vera Piller” Poetry Contest in Zurich. Her poetry collection TERMINUS ARCADIA was 2nd Place Winner at the Twowolvz Press Poetry Chapbook Contest 2013. BAREFOOT TO ARCADIA was translated in Telugu by the eminent Indian poet Dr. L. S. R. Prasad and published in India in 2018 as a bilingual book. Her Beat poetry collection READING THE SIGNS was launched in the USA in 2019. Aprilia has received wide recognition in both western and eastern countries for her merits and achievements. She is active in many literary and artistic groups, a frequent judge in poetry and photography competitions, and a member of the editorial boards of advisors of prestigious literary platforms such as Our Poetry Archive (OPA), Sahitya Anand Literary Journal and Athena, Journal on Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2018, she was awarded the title “Dr. Aprilia Zank – Germany Beat Poet Laureate – Lifetime” by the National Beat Poetry Foundation (USA). Aprilia is also a passionate photographer. Many of her images are prize winners and have been selected for poetry book covers.