Beginning

I follow you with difficulties

in these dangerous times,

in this now and here,

where unpleasant experiences and memories

are quickly forgotten and replaced with

other thoughts and deeds.

Day and night change too fast,

like the Sun and the Moon,

It's a short day.

We all come to an end

where there is a new beginning,

and I slowed down,

I'm looking for your glance persistently

to find out

how much time has left to us in the world?

I trust you,

because you are a dreamer.

Silence 

And everything would be easy, 

everything would be 

simple 

without you 

in me. 

All the dictionaries of the world 

would translate the same 

what are

called love. 

And everything would be silence, 

everything would be a sound 

in a vortex and the 

contrast of 

everything. 

But it is not so. 

Everything is very complicated, 

everything is not clear, 

everything is just a secret 

and it is no longer loud. 

It's quiet. 

Source

Don’t tell me how to go away, how to get over it.

You don’t hear my heart how crazy it beats 

and the blood goes down the slide.

I don’t breathe.

Don’t tell me that tomorrow will be better

and the world is woven with shiny threads, 

with the colors of the Sun.

You don’t see the rain that unpleasantly taps 

on the roof of the city and disappears slowly,

it is scattered and extinguished.

Don’t talk to me, keep silent

Our eyes will see all the weight of heavenly clouds.

Our eyes will meet with silent glances in time.

Don’t talk, the universe sleeps.

Don’t whisper, not to wake billions 

of eyes from the sky that blink.

Don’t tell me anything.

In your harbor, 

however, my long memories are poured.

You don’t know the source.

I'm Not Your Toy

Powerful, invisible wind,

take me from the rock wall while I sail,

while wild waves flow around me.

The wonderful darkness, cold, take me to the far

horizon of that blue distance, 

which is unattainable.

I'm trying to catch you, with a sigh, 

but I'm the man who

persistently abandons you with an exhale.

I'm trying persistently to grab your invisible force.

I feel the shudder, to every touch of my skin.

Every pore opened to absorb you, 

but unsuccessfully.

You swing me with swaying intensity, 

on a steep wall.

I'm playing with life.

I'd like to hug you, and you push me away, 

you carry me to the mainland.

I'm sure you don’t want me, 

because I hear behind you 

the waves that you navigate with,

dragging the small pebbles off the beach 

and returning it again, different, more shapely.

You're changing the game's order.

You shift every object that is on your way.

Strong winds, I hear how the earth calls me.

I hear sparkling water joining 

in the waterfalls with the shore.

I hear this unusual shape of whiteness 

that rustles through the fine gravel.

I hear your pleasantly swimming of a mixed bowel 

and I go to the edge where the water does not reach.

And I stand, I feel that I am untouchable, 

that I am the other world.

While you howl at me even more powerful 

to escape further into my interior.

Breaking Up

I loved my man inside me.

He fulfilled my time day and night.

And then he left.

He left me imagined, sad.

Unanswered questions are countless.

Indescribable events, secrets.

He left a silence behind him, a void.

Now I'm listening to the morning 

and telling myself how it happened and how it

maybe could have been, 

if I had been a different woman.

He’s gone.

It is unnecessary to call for him anymore, 

he doesn’t hear, he is far away,

he is far in his silence, 

the silence of his world, complete.

And he is no longer alone.

TANJA AJTIC

TANJA AJTIC was born in Belgrade, Serbia. She lived and studied in Serbia at the Faculty of Philology-Department of Serbian Language and Literature. She is a poet and writer but she is also an artist. She also deals with fine graphics in the linocut technique. Since 2002, she lives and creates in Canada. Moved to Belgrade, Serbia in summer 2023. Tanja Ajtic is a member of many groups and associations. In Serbia, she is a member of the prestigious Society of Writers of Belgrade. Her poems and stories have been published two hundred collections (books), anthologies, electronic books and magazines. Her poems have been published in English, Serbian, Chinese, Croatian, Iraqi, Bengali, Indian, Bulgarian, Tunisian, Arabic and Spanish. In the spring of 2018, at the "Pegasus" competition of the Literary Youth of Serbia, Belgrade, she won the award for printing the first book of poetry "Outlines of Love". Her book was exhibited at the Book Fair in 2018 in Belgrade, as well as at the Book Salon in Toronto in 2019.  She is represented in the Anthology among the 30 best writers for 2020 by the Association of Writers of Australia (USUA). She won first place, the award of authors from abroad in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2020), Canton of Tuzla. She won second prize in Great Britain from the Serbian Library in London (2019). The winner's book was published and was exhibited at the Mini Book Fair in London (2020). She participated with books and anthologies at many fairs in the world with other authors. She won III World Prize for Excellence "Cesar Vallejo" 2021 in the category of artistic excellence Lima, Peru, by the World Spanish Union of Writers and International Award of Excellence; from the World Spanish Union of Writers, UHE Mexico. Received the prestigious UHE Platinum Eagle Award, PLATINUM EAGLE AWARD, invitation to Mexico, Oaxaca, to present the award; I premio mundial a la excelencia "El aguila platino 2022" Union hispanomundial de escritores (UHE), Mil mentes por Mexico internacioanl (MMMEX), Academia Mundial de literatura, historia, arte y cultura; November 30, 2022. She won the I International Award of Excellence "Cita Del Glateo" Antonio De Ferrariis, IX edition 2022 – Rome, Italy, a prestigious award in the group of poets for the English language (IX edition of the award for foreign poetry in English) in 2022, Rome, Italy. Winners of Foundation Naji Naaman literary prize iz 2023; (21st Edition), from the Republic of Lebanon, Honor Prize (for complete work) for Literary prizes 2023. Poetry for the competition was submitted in three languages: English, French and Arabic. Winning the 2023 “Zheng Nian Cup” Literary Award – Third Prize by the Beijing Mindfulness Literature Museum, China. She is the winner of many awards, diplomas and certificate. She is currently writing poetry, short stories, haiku, gogyoshi poetry as well as graphics artist as a freelance artist.