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irinia Apr 2014
In the silent mornings or in the silent nights
there is a hunch there is a thigh there is a panther
I try to catch your shoulders using a violin
as a butterfly net
but if your hair chimes it's because it's dreaming
if your eyelid blossoms it's because of the wind
if your hand howls it's because it's night
if your ears sleep it's because they're famished
if your shoes laugh it's because they're thinking
and if your shoulders take flight it's because it's very late

If your hand falls silent it's because it's a seashell
if your veins race it's because of the mandrake
if the thigh listens it's because there are still leaves
if the blood foams it's the fault of the umbrellas

If your frock screams it's because it's dying
if your shadow flickers it's because it's burning
if your fingernail sits on the curtains it's because they're violet
if your foot whinnies it's because of the clouds
if the lungs fall asleep it's because it's dark
and if your shoulders choke
it is assuredly because of the trees.

Gellu Naum, Vasco da Gama and other pohems, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2007
"Gellu Naum (1915-2001) may be said to have been the last of the Surrealists in the proper sense of the world. He was the last living link to that revolution of the human spirit which first defined itself in Andre Breton's Manifeste du surrealisme of 1924. " Alistair Blyth

I posted two of Naum's poems because I like the freshness and freedom of his associations and poetical images. I like the unexpected of his verse and its dream-like quality.
irinia Mar 2014
In a room among newspapers from far-away climes
like a tame animal like a marvelous man you love yourself
                                                        ­ and sit on the edge
     of the bed with your palms on your knees
or absolved of birth and death you stroke your pumice-stone
                                                    ­                                              cheek
until the sun crosses the other side
next to the photograph of the happy child who is piddling on
                                                              ­                           a blue shore
Then every thing returns regroups
as though in a boiling fog in which things are mended
among the obscure plantations of chance And alongside
a woman carefully hangs out the clothes of the drowned lover and
                                                             ­                             speaks to them
the one who still seeks you in the black bones of the
                                                             ­                                   butterflies
And while you wander lost through the mists of a powerful
                                                        ­                                         manhood
past the spades left on the fresh molehill
or gaze at the swaying of the two stakes ****** into the shore
or lie down on the ground and the wind covers your face with
                                            thistles brought who knows whence
a great sadness brings back the lunar landscape of her tired
                                                                ­                            shoulders
and there are no more words but her whisper are things which
                                                                ­                                        settle
everywhere filling the ripped silence of the train's screech
her whispers are the water gathered over the prints of her
                                                                ­                  soles after the last rain
but a simple turn of the key is enough for you to be able to hear
the slow flowing of time by your dampened socks
or the heavy breathing of the roots
and again you dream the blue shore  at the end of the river
on which we ruminate our enchanted abandonment

Gellu Naum, Vasco da Gama and other pohems, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2007
Gellu Naum (1915-2001) was a Romanian Surrealist poet
CK Baker Sep 2022
A trip to the Balkans
with family in tow
and Cycle Albania
to light up the show!

There was Erlis and Rimi
(and Junid to track)
an itinerary
that would not look back!

First stop, Tirana
in the downtown core
with cafes and bars
and music galore

There were hints in the air
of a Communist cast
which the vibrant city
had long moved past

A shuttle to Ohrid
and cruise of the lake
the flora and fauna
left no mistake

Lunch on the terrace
and a trip to St. Naum
the monastery
…so peaceful, and calm

We plateaued to Korçë
through a patchwork of farms
the herdsmen and sheep
held so much charm

A tour through the city
with cultural notes
the cobble stone streets
beyond reproach

A climb through the mountains
in thundering rain
to the Sotire Farm
what a lovely domain!

There were goats and donkeys
and kindly old dogs
but the favorite of all
were the scampering hogs!

We slept like babies
and left in the morn
through the high pine forest
and fields of corn

Down through the mountains
and rivers and streams
the “Presidential Descent
was an absolute scream!

A freshly paved stretch
(roughly 17k!)
Jaglin was off
and on her way!

A guesthouse for lunch
in the village of Benje
the evening’s Raki
would have its revenge!

To the sanctuary pools
(across the Ottoman bridge)
the healing and soothing
of miracle ridge

Into the valley
and over the gorge
to Gjirokastër
where roots were forged

Alleys and walk ways
and tight quiet streets
castles and churches
that met no defeat

A storybook city
with an historic past
we savored the buildings
and white wall cast

Off to Sarandë
…the Ionian coast!
a rustic old ferry
and ruins, with ghosts

The site of Butrint
“...from a world gone by
we travelled in time
with a lullaby

Corfu at a distance
Himarë in reach
we swam in the ocean
and drank on the beach

Himarë to Vlorë
a spectacular day!
7 turns to the top
what a view of the bay!

Hairpins and kickbacks
so tranquilly warm
“...the thighs are burning
like a lightning storm
!”

Lunch at the peak
and down to Vlorë
picking up speed
and a mighty roar!

Winds off the shoreline
sun at a high
the smells and sounds
as seabirds fly

The final stretch
with the finish in view
we crossed the line
…The Peloton Crew!
Albania...such a beautifully diverse, and welcoming country!  Thank you Erlis, Junid and Rimi...your warm hospitality will not be forgotten!
Valentin Eni Jan 20
Wandering shadows drift upon my street,
They stop outside my door begin to speak:
Halum hecat.

They peer through glass as though they see my face,
They wave at me as if to call my name,
And with dry voices whisper through the space:
Nehim ruhat.

Perhaps I should be gripped by dreadful fear,
Hide in my bed beneath the blankets tight,
Scream out and wake, relieved to find it clear—
It was a dream, a fragment of the night.

But I feel no fear. Instead, I’m curious,
And like a dream, I slowly start to drift
Toward those shadows, whispering to us:
Sahat lehud.

A shiver runs through every vein and bone,
I press my palm against the icy pane,
And from the shadows, rising like a moan:
Khalim tahud.

I see a thousand shadows writhe in night,
They signal me, they press against the glass,
And from their whispers, delicate yet slight,
A single voice like balm begins to pass:
Tahil latham.

Perhaps a dying soul’s faint shadow calls,
Or one unborn, whose heart has yet to beat.
And something in me rises, breaking walls—
I answer in their tongue, obscure, discreet:
Tahat naham.

Then I dissolve into the misted pane,
I pass beyond into the frozen dark.
And I become a shadow lost, profane,
To roam the streets forever, without spark.

And I will softly cry:
Naum tahit.

And I will cry aloud:
Halum hecat.

— The End —