Two Poems by Ninko Kirilov

 

THE LONGEST APRIL

we all welcomed April
the longest April ever
it snowed on 1st
then it rained, it poured
then the sun came up
and spring followed it gladly

we missed all that
caged
misplaced
hungry for fake attention
widowed
stripped down to our bones
wearing only safety masks
and no love to each other

the longest April
came unannounced
it ravaged our small hearts
and brought pain to our empty stomachs
our bones began to crumble -
all we wanted was for April to be a young girl
and to give it to her
slow, painful penetration
April screaming
April wearing lipstick under the mask
moaning
begging for mercy
and true love at the same time

and then the longest April
takes a long bath
and the bubbles fill our glasses
we drink and drink and drink
and maybe we get drunk
not really drunk
but drunk enough to welcome May

BULLFIGHT

 

some bull calls me every night

at 3 or 4

he wakes me up

doesn't say a thing

and listens to me breathing

that's why I keep quiet

 

that bull could be no bull at all

could be a woman

or a future version of me

or you

or some woman's child

that I have forgotten in the hurry

 

the bull knows:

the phone is a magenta cape

 

I know:

all bulls are colour-blind

 

 

Ninko Kirilov - born in 1983 in Bulgaria.

He has a major degree in journalism and has some short stories and poems translated and published in English and Serbian.

He has four books published so far - "Doubles and animals"(2013), "A human amongst people" (2017), "Three plays" (2018) and "Rawer" (2019). He is working on his next poetry books - "Falling forever" (2021), "Other holes too" (2022).