WOUNDED SWALLOWS
You rise like an automaton long before dawn,
and in that silence the closing of a door is heard;
your footsteps resemble those of a drunkard.
A bit of bread is wrapped in a piece of paper.
It is a long way by train and by bus. The hours
drag on, and the sun does not yet rise; people are
gloomy, resembling the cloudy sky. They close
their mouths and don’t pronounce a single word.
Evening comes, and you return to your warm nest
where your loves await you; you are so tired
that you cannot smile, and your head hangs over
the couch. Early in the morning, you set the
alarm clock again. In your chest, dreams vanish
and twist like wounded swallows that fall to
the ground.
IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator. She is a naturalized
Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the
encyclopedia of poetry. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman’s literary prize for complete
work. Irma Kurti is a member of the jury for several literary competitions in Italy and also a
translator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain. Irma Kurti has published more than 100 works,
including books of poetry, fiction and translations. Her books have been translated and published in
21 countries.
