by Alisa Velaj
I do not know if one day I shall become a poetess
In my home city I have never felt the anxiety of cold weather
Or autumn’s arrivals or skies loaded with clouds
Wetting the roof of my house
I lack so many things I need to become a poetess
On hot nights mosquitoes redden my body
These cursed beings cover my body in swollen spots
They are so big that I fear people will see them despite my dress
In the morning I wake up early with my soul singing songs
At night I see lakes and seas and oceans in my dreams
So walking to school along streets without pavements
I close my eyes as if I were a swan or a gull
There I feel the bite of some other mosquito
Coming from the swamp on the left of the street…
Again I cry for I fear one day I shall not become a poetess
For I lack so many things
I lack the leaves, the rains, and the seasons
I lack everything that is free and beautiful
I am an only daughter of the season of palms
And a distant cousin of the desert cactus
I wear thorns to protect my water from evaporating
For everyday I water my sadness
With lakes, with seas, and with oceans…
English translation by Ukë ZENEL Buçpapaj
Wonderful poem, Alisa! 🙂
brilliant poem Alisa! Loved the gentle explorations of becoming a poet. 🙂