Two Poems by Irma Kurti

I Will Not Shut My Eyes

I will not shut my eyes;

to remember you in every touch, 

in every caress and kiss,

I keep your image in mind.

To hold onto your image 

in every tremor or whisper, 

like the very first time,

in every word and sigh— 

I will not shut my eyes.

□

Like Ravens

In that mystery I perceive the silences

and all my thoughts caw like ravens, 

they stop among dozens of unknown people, 

who are mutated into numbers and names. 

When I come to your grave, dear Mamma, 

I feel that I lose you a thousand times again,

the sorrow with a whip lashes my anima, 

the desperation takes all my words away. 

© Irma Kurti

Bergamo, Italy

kurtial@yahoo.com

IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path. Kurti has also won numerous literary prizes and awards in Italy and Italian Switzerland. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. In 2022, she was also nominated as the Albanian ambassador to the International Academic Award of Contemporary Literature Seneca of the Academy of Philosophical Arts and Sciences, Bari. She also won the prestigious 2023 Naji Naaman's literary prize for complete work. Irma Kurti has published 28 books in Albanian, 24 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has written approximately 150 lyrics for adults and children. She has also translated 17 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English. Her books have been translated and published in 14 countries.