*
They said
it's raining heavily
they said
hail is falling
I haven’t felt
a thing
you’re in love
they said
and closed
the window
of my heart
(Translated from the Bulgarian by Tom Phillips)
*
You’re not expecting
this poem
you probably won’t
read it
you’ll carry on undressing
and dressing
and your smile will remain
like a Christmas decoration
year-round
why then
write it at all?
it’s like reaching out
a hand to someone without arms
and immediately
pulling it back in horror
in case they grab it
shake it
and cheerily call out
hello
(Translated from the Bulgarian by Tom Phillips)
*
Why do you have
to die
so casually
just as if your parents
are sending you to bed
precisely when
the night’s promises
are taking shape
think of something
say
that you’ll be good
that you won’t play
God
that you haven’t yet furnished your life
as an anteroom
to Death
or then again
start reciting
a long poem
and pray
that it’s
worth more
than you
(Translated from the Bulgarian by Tom Phillips)
Author’s
Bionote:
*Petar Tchouhov was born on 23.06.1961 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He
is the author of 17 collections of poetry, a novel, two collections of short stories, a
play and a children’s book, as well as a musician who often incorporates some
of his poems in rock songs together with his bands. His works have been
translated into more than 25 languages and included in many newspapers,
journals and anthologies in Bulgaria and abroad. He is the winner of the top prize at the 61st Basho Festival in Japan and many more others. Petar
performed his writing and music at festivals and other events in Japan, USA,
Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Lithuania,
Turkey, Morocco, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania, Montenegro and North
Macedonia. Petar Tchouhov is a member of the Bulgarian PEN Centre’s Management
Board, the Association of Bulgarian Writers, the Sofia Haiku Club, the Haiku
Society of America, the World Haiku Association, and Musicautor. He works for the Sofia City Library, head of the
library's Literary Club.
(Photo by Nikolay Totomanov)
