Three Poems by Ninko Kirilov

BETWEEN MY WINGS IT'S, OH, SO EMPTY

and towards me you walk with your so little dervish feet

of blood and fine bones. and towards me you come

and thorns wound every breath

and memories of late abortions, bad guests

and breaks you follow ravenous -

those crumbs for all the tender animals in your eyes.

you're coming back to me, but it's probably too early.

and there's no way you'll recognize me.

from today until the end of days

this song I sing, so listen, listen:

between my wings it's, oh, so empty.

between my wings it's, oh, so empty.

and so it is because I'm sickly waiting in the dry land

to plant your small immortal name,

to put you on my shoulders for the first time

and wait for you to whisper

"daddy,

I am sleepy".




THOSE PEACHES


she was fixing her makeup. me and the mirror

stood there watching. we planned for the afternoon

to go and buy some crazy peaches.

such a great plan. we went, we chose,

we paid, we walked the long way back.

behind the block I whispered she was pretty,

so much prettier than all the peaches. and a neighbour,

he asked me eagerly as a gunshot:

who is nice. and I answered him:

she, always and forever.

my neighbour was most stoically silent.

I looked around and it was just the two of us.

of course I had those peaches in my hands.




THE SUN, THE HEART


look, the sun is a forgotten smoke, my friends

on pictures, gymnopedias, symphonies and quietly,

so quietly it got inside, lead gold

as if it is a bad, bad fairy tale,

but there is no one you tell it to because.

oh, yes - because. just look so accusatory

and honestly at yourself,

to be proud of your silences on the road,

devoid of both sympathy and poles.

machete diagnosis tomorrow -

to inhale the better version of the words

but to exhale only ashes from your heart

which you happened to forget on the embers.



and the sun is actually drawn.

and the desire to belong to someone - gone.

Ninko Kirilov is the author of books of prose, poetry and drama: "Doubles and Animals" (2013), "Man Among People" (2017), "Three Plays" (2018), "Rawer" (2019), "Falling Forever" (2021), "Other Holes Too" (2022) and "Orange" (2023). He has been published in newspapers, magazines, online editions, poetry and prose collections, almanacs and anthologies. He has won awards mainly for short prose and poetry. His texts have been translated into English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Serbian and Montenegrin, and his collection of poems "Rawer" was published in India by Taj Mahal Review.