Arts
Greean Areas. A poem by Gabi Eftimie (English, Romanian) Author: Ana Teodora Popa green areas (Gabi Eftimie) Pretending to be a tourist in my own town, I take the bus to the last stop. It doesn`t take long and all filters disappear when you`re on autopilot. Soon, I arrive to my destination. My electrified hair is spread in the same direction as I’m headed to. I pick up crumbs left behind of my fellow passengers and I try to guess: bread, biscuits, falafel? Ahead:” the park, the green lung of the city.” In the deepest depth, fishes hobble, enduring like uranium. The crows` croaking doesn’t pierce through anymore. The black-throated loon spreads out its cry like a fishnet through the lake´s surface. I surrender to these inputs. Like in some guided meditation. The park, now on mute, is lost in space. Pigeons coo their mantras. Happiness to all humankind! Let us be spared by weakness! May all care for their fellows´ well-being! Don´t let anyone experience gloom and sorrow! Suddenly, a green, lit water-bus pops up in the surrounding twilight. Translated from Romanian to English by the poet. The piece is composed by Ana Teodora Popa with a poem by Gabi Eftimie in the frame of POLYPHONIC ECHOES, a project organized by Jumătatea plină for SEMI SILENT. Partners: Czech Center and the National Museum of Romanian Literature. With the support of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. * Ana Teodora Popa is a sound engineer and composer, passionate about theater, radio and innovation. She lives in Iași, Romania. Gabi Eftimie has been living in Sweden since 2011, where she teaches Swedish and translates literature and children’s books from German, Swedish, and English. Her debut poetry collection, ochi roșii polaroid. acesta este un test (Vinea) was published in 2006, followed by nordul e o stare de spirit (Charmides), in 2014. Her work was also featured in several anthologies in Romanian, Hungarian, German, Swedish, and English. She has participated in various festivals and workshops, among which the one organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Visby, Sweden in 2009. In 2020, she published her third book on nature: Sputnik în grădină (OMG), awarded by Sofia Nădejde Awards for literature written by women. Recorded, played, composed, edited by Ana Teodora Popa for SEMI SILENT. Voices: Ana Teodora Popa and Sebastian Bădărău