More poems by Lito Seizani
1.The dignified beggar
The beggar who doesn’t extend his palm
Is always there, at the corner of the pedestrians’ walk
In the lovely small German city
Near the old town hall
Across from the cosmetic shop
On the same side of the street
As the store selling expensive clothes
Having his hands crossed behind him
*
So how do you know he’s a beggar?
Because he stands there all the time
And if you take the initiative of some money
To give him, he won’t deny it
*
He’s been forever there, at the same spot
With his hands crossed behind him
Even before the enforcement of the law
Against aggressive begging
*
Today he gave me the inspiration
For this poem
In order to thank him
I approached him conspiratorially
Enticing him with my eyes
To bring one of his hands in front
And I gave him a coin
LS 2014.
2.Heavy luggage
How heavy is the luggage
Of an entire life
Travels and places, people and feelings
You saw it all, you felt it all
Even the ones
You may not have known
But, all the same, they came along
*
How heavy is the luggage
That you must carry yourself
No porter will offer to get it for you
Although you’re willing to pay
It’s you who chose to come with so much weight
*
But, oh, if only you could
Leave the suitcases
Go back for different choices
More practical, lighter ones
More useful, better ones
*
But, oh, if only you could
Throw a little ballast off your life’s balloon
Make it rise
So you can see the world
From above, from afar
LS 2014.
3.Doors
A door I adore
An entrance, a gate
It opens, it closes
Inviting, forbidding
Uniting, dividing
*
A door I adore
A commonplace metaphor
Of life when it opens
Of death when it's shut
*
A door I adore
A promise, a hope
A new beginning maybe
The sense of adventure
Of all possibilities
LS 2013.
Thanks to Ron Vassil for his help with the translation of the 3 poems above.
3 existential poems: tourist, victim, phoenix
Editor’s note: In these three short poems submitted for LeipGlo, author Lito Seizani ponders on three aspects of her own existence. She often writes for our web magazineabout literature, and poetry is one of her passions.
Two of her poems here deal with external stimuli and their consequences. One, which invokes positive feelings and memories, is that of being a tourist. The other involves the disappointment she experiences as a victim of relationships with other human beings. At the same time, she resigns herself to this being unavoidable, as it’s intrinsic to human nature to repeatedly mess up and hurt other people.
The third poem ends the series on an optimistic note, based on her inner life – that of recovery from deep-rooted emotional issues. She is somehow reborn, like a phoenix.
If taken together and interpreted a certain way, these poems may paint the picture of an individual who is discovering that depending on external validation is a dead-end, and that the small moments and aspects of ourselves we learn to treasure – for ourselves – are what make life worth living and remembering. Our happiness should not depend on other people, although this is incredibly hard to accomplish.
1.Foreign, tourist, traveller
I always loved being a foreigner to other places
A tourist to faraway countries
A traveller to languages unknown
My curiosity was insatiable
It served as a compass to me
What treasures did I bring back?
Not silver or gold
Nor spices or silk
A humble pebble maybe
The photo of a donkey
The kiss of a stranger
And the first impressions
Full of colours and smells
To recall at any time
(By Lito Seizani, 22.12.17)
2.The cause of your misfortunes
People will fool you
They’ll ridicule you
People will beat you
They will defeat you
They’ll draw some pleasure
Out of your pain
They’ll be the cause
Of your misfortunes
They’ll disappoint you
Time and again
(By Lito Seizani, Sept. 2017)
3.This hole
Slowly
Gradually
This hole
In my soul
That made me ill
Begins to heal
(By Lito Seizani, undated)
Helen of Troy
What can Helen be thinking of
Looking out of the window?
Can she really have any thoughts at all
The woman who made an entire city cry and sigh?
*
Is Helen able to think
When she sees the Greek ships in a row?
Locked in the palace chambers
Does she miss anyone she loved?
*
What does go on in Helen's mind?
One day she left Sparta
Supposedly chosen by Paris
And went to Troy which is now a pile of rubble
*
What is Helen thinking of?
As she sees the flames burning Troy
The city destroyed because of her
But she manages to escape on board a ship
29.01.1982
(First read during one of Actors of Dionysus daily dose).