Poems by Aleksandar Stoicovici

translated by Anca Dorneanu

this was our childhood

 

in the horses hot skin

we were pressing small frankincense pieces with our fingers

we imagined we were pressing  gems

in a season that most of the times  smelled

of  distance and mud

 

but the horses were burried at the front entrance

with chains from the censer around their eyes

and this was our childhood

 

 

in the silent august nights

we were hearing the bees flying under the dry land

the sky was pending in an imense fish net

until near our foreheads

we were entering the Danube and the Danube was dark

as if all the nights before had soaked in water

 

the moon was caught in reeds

seven dozen angels with bloody hands

were tying it in leather belts and pulling it in the deep

we colected the tears on their cheeks and ran to the village

Gabriel the Archangel was blowing his bugle to call the fish

and this was our childhood

 

 

carousels and praying wheels

for Andreea

 

sunken in lime up till the neck we were waiting for something wonderful to happen

nothing more. nothing less

there in the middle of wolves with our eyes on the telescopes

we were waiting for some planet to apear. we weren’t picky

and we even ate ants from biscuits packages

the wolves were staring in our mouth with their cold eyes

and were synchronizing their gestures through a transmission belt

we were all speaking the same language

 

this is our forest we were yelling like mad. it’s our forest

no it ain’t yours ye bloody punks the would answer

show me a planet. I want to put it underneath my skin coat

to keep me warm. he was spitting blood in a handkerchief

phosphorus was gently speaking to us from his lungs

 

but we weren’t made for such a thing. something wonderful had to happen to us

from the middle of the river a marble cormorant was growing

the waters did not have eyes for us

pustules were covering our bodies from head to toes

we were forced – so to say – to give up our destiny

 

back then I couldn’t have known that I’ll meet you

I sat with my eyes watching telescopes and eating ants

I fraternized with wolves for you

keeping a wax ring sewn to my coat – just in case

back then I couldn’t have known that you would find me

all my senses were erroded like a terra cotta mountain

 

like a predator bird the night was egging in my eyesockets

all I saw were carusels and praying wheels

it was hard for me to understand what you were saying

but I knew you arrived

I was kissing you and you were falling asleep like a swan

on my cold hand.