Two Poems by Ninko Kirilov

 

DON'T BLOW THE DANDELION

and in the morning it is complicated solitaire in clichés.
the breakfast for two is just a memory but the coffee
for two - it becomes for one. we are invariably two
it is just the extra distance. we are a drama,
a noir comedy and jazz in lines.
the sticky leaves bubble in the winter,
they remind us that cosiness and even little cosiness are gone.
most Nekerman-like childhood between words
when you smile, everything calms down in the craziest way
and I ventilate the chambers of my heart and take pictures of you,
and take pictures of you,
and take some more pictures of you.
and then I dare not to look at them.

 

VERBATIM


give it some food, some water and caresses - nothing more.
and keep your cigars, and the scotch, the truffles, 

keep the imposingness of the Russian tragedies, 

the caviar, the neck ties, the ballet. 

save Nietzsche and Fellini, save the Louvre, 

the verbal equilibristics of the winter, 

save yourself the thought. it's like a book to the drowning man, 

like a chocolate to the birds, like a diamond for the clouds, 

like Calvin Klein for the bold hermit, 

like a protein shake for the chimney sweep 

that will move past your pain 

and will take the soot.


save everything. 

it's just a dog. 

like you. so give it love, 

give it some food, some water and caresses- 

nothing more.

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, German, Polish, Serbian and Montenegrin, and his collection of poems "Rawer" was published in India by Taj Mahal Review.