Magnolia and other poems by Margarita Serafimova
Serafimova was shortlisted for Montreal International Poetry Prize 2017, awarded a merit-based fellowship by Summer Literary Seminars as a runner-up in 2018 Poetry Contest, and long-listed for Erbacce Poetry Prize 2018. She has three collections in Bulgarian, “Animals and Other Gods” (2016), “Demons and World” (2017), and “The Insolubility of Splendour” (2018). A fourth collection, “Earth and Love”, is forthcoming in 2018. Her work appears in Agenda Poetry, London Grip New Poetry, Trafika Europe, European Literature Network, Journal, A-Minor, Waxwing, Nixes Mate, StepAway, Ink, Sweat and Tears, HeadStuff, Minor Literatures, Writing Disorder, Birds We Piled Loosely, Noble/ Gas Quarterly, miller’s pond, Obra/ Artifact, TAYO, Shot Glass, Poetic Diversity, Pure Slush, Harbinger Asylum, Punch, Tuck, Ginosko, Peacock, Anti-Heroin Chic, Liquid Imagination, Dark Matter, Red Wolf, Window/ Patient Sounds, SurVision, Antinarrative, Basil O’Flaherty, Borfski Press, Wild Word, Oddball, Soft Cartel, Apricity, Transnational, MockingHeart, Pocket Change, Chachalaca, Quail Bell, etc. More: https://www.facebook.com/MargaritaISerafimova/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel.
You are a magnolia in Marseille,
all shine and glossy leaves from the times
before death was born.
*
Магнолия в Марсилия си –
само блясък и лъскави листа от времената,
преди да се роди смъртта.
Who are these,
the stars?
Whose lives are they burning?
*
Кои са тези,
звездите?
Чии животи изгарят?
The beautiful heart found
a new time.
Nothing is like yesterday.
*
Хубавото сърце намери
ново време.
Нищо не е като вчера.
A fish leapt
to capture its own low glint
above the water.
*
Риба скокна да
улови над водата
ниския си блясък.
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Beautiful waves as Chinese lions with smoothed out curls
are passing ahead in the light, and withdrawing.
Life is god.
*
Красиви вълни, китайски лъвове с изгладени къдрици,
минават напред в светлината и се оттеглят.
Животът е бог.
It was present.
I was surrounded by that
which will not come again.
*
Бе настояще.
Бях заобиколена от това,
което няма да дойде отново
8 January 2017
It is alright, I was calming myself down,
looking at the sunlight on the dirty surface,
it is over.
The amputation is over.
*
8 януари 2017 г.
Всичко е наред, успокоявах себе си аз,
като гледах слънчевата светлина на мръсната повърхност,
всичко свърши.
Ампутацията свърши.
There was nothing in the unclear water
but the lucent presence of chance –
a big beautiful fish,
fins spread out in delicious glory,
might pass.
© Margarita Serafimova