MINIATURES by Giorgi Kekelidze

English translation by Lyn Coffin

4

love’s complexities my eyelashes feather yours — between us a narrow rope bridge 6 walking out of the garden of sadness the colorful fields lured me and I pulled back a tear that trembled on my eyelid I made my thirsty eyes water to drink

8

a leaf’s antiphon this fig tree has many private places and its eyes will be opened by devilish spring

10

moon no wonder these hills and valleys are pale with the color of fear planet earth is dreaming of the dead sun

12

antiphon for as long as the voice lasts they say– beyond the sky there’s always silence we are dead and keeping quiet so our echo can be heard beyond the sky

14

about death my eyelids were once locked shut and I stayed somewhere else– I sang about the sun but sometimes at dawn I ran to a place I knew and knocked on a dark door like a madman

16

antiphon of leaving I am lying on my back a flock of birds passes overhead– looking like a scribbled card periodetached.

18 “me and night” you went looking for mushrooms and came back so late your calling now is pointless — this tent’s not big enough for three of a spoon I was drinking the sea from a spoon and I was one I was one and drinking the sea. The sea was big– already I was bigger.

20 antiphon

22 life #3

I am an empty room the soul who used to live here went visiting then it was raining and my soul left the apartment because I’m only one room and so small it couldn’t hold two souls and my soul stands looking out the window I’m giving you this key you can come and live peacefully.

24

riddle the houses of this city looked like teeth that fell out early flies circled its open mouth and planted red eggs I was different and wise

26

abey baby’s lullaby and I dreamed my mother died I saw only her toes and the nails on her toes and blue sadness on her nails. then they buried her in a white shroud. this is the room. I was born here, grew up and got up and wrote: and I dreamed of my mother

28

Maya’s antiphon: Tsikara I looked and saw a fly-sized something, a woman naked with the face of lust, I tossed my body to her and three sons and three daughters were born a fly flew in and flew away then I thought maybe everyone was a fly, I smiled and disappeared

30

so it’s raining God is sitting and God is grinding water so it’s raining

32

I got bored I got bored and I measured my neck against the rope I tuned a blood vessel to the knife my blood solidified, I drank anhydride and got drunk I got drunk and fell into the river somewhere nearby the enemy was sitting, waiting for my corpse seeing me alive, he pulled me out.