Two Poems by Irma Kurti

My Seasons

You see that lovely house on the hill
that has appeared like a giant mushroom?
I would like us to take refuge there,
far from this mad, chaotic world.

You’ll cover my body with flowers,
you’ll desire me in every white petal,
you’ll caress me just like the breeze,
keeping my fragilities in your hand.

When the wind scatters the petals,
you’ll recognize my autumn at once,
my youth lost in lines and wrinkles,
the sunset of faded charms.

You see that house? It seems unreal-
the backdrop of an ancient tale.
I’d like to live there through the seasons
for a year, a month, or a single day.
□

These Are Not Leaves
 
These are not leaves that the autumn
throws on my hair, my shoulders;
they are hands greeting me today
while I drag an old and heavy suitcase
that keeps the seasons we lived together.

These are not raindrops running down
my cheeks, but tears: so limpid and clear.

These are not puddles reflecting now my
face but rivers of thoughts and reflections.

Goodbyes always hurt; they leave you
bitter in the heart, even if, somewhere
out there, a world of magic colors waits…!
□

© 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 won numerous literary prizes and awards in Albania, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Philippines, Lebanon and China. 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.
She received the Leonardo da Vinci and Giacomo Leopardi prizes from the Chimera Arte Contemporanea Cultural Association of Lecce. The same association also honored her with the European Ambassador Award and named her the Best Poet of the Year in 2022.

She received the Grazia Deledda medal and diploma of merit from the National Committee of WikiPoesia on the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian poet. In 2023 she was awarded a Career Award from the Universum Academy Switzerland. 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. She is also a translator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain. Irma Kurti has published 29 books in Albanian, 24 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has also translated 20 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English. Irma Kurti is one of the most translated and published Albanian poets. Her books have been translated and published in sixteen countries.